Ukraine’s EU integration: European Commission sees strong progress in the agricultural sector

“Ukraine is demonstrating progress in implementing reforms and aligning national legislation with European Union law. The Ministry of Economy, in turn, has introduced a number of important reforms in the areas of investment, business support, privatization, intellectual property, the green transition, agriculture, and other key sectors of the economy,” said Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine.

This year’s report is the first since the completion of the EU’s screening of Ukrainian legislation, and the third overall. This means that it also takes into account the results of the screening, which show where Ukrainian laws already meet EU standards and where further changes are still needed.

The report uses a five-point scale to assess the level of preparedness — measuring the alignment of national legislation and reforms with EU law and standards.

Specifically, the European Commission awarded a score of 4 (“good progress”) in the following areas:

• “Functioning market economy” and “Ability to withstand competitive pressure and market forces within the EU” (Cluster 1);

• “Consumer and health protection” (Cluster 2);

• “Environment and climate change” (Cluster 4);

• “Agriculture and rural development” (Cluster 5).

A score of 3 (“some progress”) was given to:

• “Free movement of goods” and “Intellectual property law” (Cluster 2);

• “Economic and monetary policy,” “Social policy and employment,” and “Enterprise and industrial policy” (Cluster 3);

• “Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy,” and “Fisheries” (Cluster 5).

The European Commission also noted progress in:

• “Public procurement” (Cluster 1);

• “Freedom of movement for workers” and “Freedom of establishment and provision of services” (Cluster 2);

• “External relations” (Cluster 6).

Overall, the assessments show that Ukraine is firmly on the path of transformation and undergoing a natural reform process. Notably, the country did not receive any negative “backsliding” assessments. The next steps include opening negotiations in additional clusters, implementing the European Commission’s recommendations outlined in the 2025 EU Enlargement Package Progress Report on Ukraine, and fulfilling roadmaps related to the rule of law, public administration reform, the functioning of democratic institutions, and other priorities.

It is noted that EU accession negotiations are conducted across six clusters, covering 33 negotiating chapters — thematic areas that encompass various EU policy fields:

1. Fundamentals of the accession process;

2. Internal market;

3. Competitiveness and inclusive growth;

4. Green agenda and sustainable connectivity;

5. Resources, agriculture, and cohesion policy;

6. External relations.

Tags: Ukraine, EU