Everything you need to know about EU's first step to making Ukraine's membership real

The European Commission published a document on October 6 outlining their first step towards making Ukraine's eventual EU membership feel more real. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the EU's commitment to welcoming EU candidate countries once they've completed their required reforms. The 25-page communication addresses both the need to prevent backsliding on the rule of law by future EU members and the reality of enlargement, aiming to make it feel like a genuine prospect for the 27 EU member states.

Accompanying the document, progress reports on Ukraine and other candidate countries will be released in October, including specific milestones for Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, and Ukraine to become EU members. These milestones will detail concrete steps between now and the completion of required work. The focus on four countries is seen as a significant political signal, as they have demonstrated the most progress in readiness over recent years.

Ukraine's larger size and slower reform pace have led to a more challenging discussion around its potential entry, with the EU defending the reform work already done and urging Kyiv to continue passing reforms. The financial cost of the EU-Ukraine relationship is far greater than for the other three countries, with Ukraine requiring a substantial 100 billion euro ($113 billion) reserve in the next EU budget for reconstruction.

While the document does not provide a specific plan for Ukraine's agricultural sector, it emphasizes the need for targeted arrangements to limit financial support and market access for sensitive products, protecting EU farmers while allowing Ukraine to become part of the CAP under certain conditions.