As Moldova races ahead of Ukraine on reforms, EU set to reveal verdict on Kyiv's progress

The European Commission is set to publish its anticipated annual reports on potential EU members' progress toward joining the bloc on November 4. The Enlargement Package will include accession roadmaps for the most advanced candidates, including Ukraine. Ukraine's accession is expected to have the latest end date, given the significant amount of work still needed, despite President Volodymyr Zelensky's insistence that Moldova should not surpass Ukraine in the process.

The EU has politically linked Ukraine and Moldova's accession processes, meaning both countries have been opening enlargement clusters simultaneously. The Commission's report on Ukraine will comprehensively cover all 33 EU accession criteria, assessing how far Kyiv has advanced since last year's report. However, Ukraine's reform progress slowed down in 2026 due to its Parliament blocking or slow-walking key legislation.

The European Commission may highlight the new task force co-chaired by EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos and Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, which focuses on rule of law reforms. Moldova has already gone through a similar exercise and is ready to receive sign-off on the interim benchmarks, raising questions about how far ahead of Ukraine Moldova is in the reform process.