The European Union cannot determine the date of Ukraine’s accession, as this contradicts the principle of merit. This was stated by European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho at a briefing in Brussels on Tuesday, March 3, according to NV. PromPolitInform reports.
“We have taken into account the statement and commitments of President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. We understand very well how committed he is to the enlargement and negotiation process,” Pinho noted, commenting on the Ukrainian president’s assessment that Ukraine would be ready to open all six clusters of EU accession negotiations within a few days.
Spokesperson Markus Lambert confirmed that the European Commission considers Ukraine ready for the opening of all six clusters. He also added that decisions currently depend on EU member states.
“We are ready to support Ukraine on its path to the EU,” Lambert said. Regarding support for the idea of setting a date for Ukraine’s accession, particularly 2027, in the context of a potential peace agreement, Pinho noted that the merit-based principle of accession does not allow the EU to set any dates on its own.
“We cannot have this as our own benchmark. This is the Ukrainian president’s benchmark, not ours. And we, for our part, are committed to doing everything possible to help Ukraine move forward in this process, because it is truly doing a tremendous job under extremely difficult conditions,” she said.
On February 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 2027 is extremely important and expressed hope for Ukraine to join the EU then. However, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that setting a specific accession date is impossible.
Ukraine’s accession to the EU – what is known
On February 9, 2026, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that the European Union is preparing a number of options for including Ukraine’s membership in a future peace agreement. Specifically, it could be gradual and provide for prior protection for Kyiv. On February 10, Politico reported that the European Union was developing an unprecedented plan that could grant Ukraine partial membership in the bloc as early as 2027.
On February 15, at the Munich Security Conference, Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated that EU member states were not yet ready to set a specific date for Ukraine’s accession, as Zelenskyy insisted.
On February 23, European Pravda reported that the EU had handed Kyiv a document listing the reforms necessary for accession. These are the requirements the EU will use to assess Ukraine’s readiness for membership.
In November 2025, the European Commission published its enlargement report, noting that Ukraine was demonstrating record progress in most key reform areas and was ready to open the first, second, and sixth clusters of negotiations. At the same time, the document stated that Kyiv must more actively combat corruption and accelerate rule of law reforms.
