A coalition of eight think tanks and civil society organizations has released second independent expert assessment of progress in implementing priority reforms on Ukraine’s path to EU membership. The report analyzes 10 priorities identified jointly by Ukraine and the EU in December last year.
The overall score rose by 6 points—from 9 to 15 out of a possible 100. Despite this increase, experts note the slow pace of reforms and, in certain areas, the risk of losing the progress already achieved.
At the same time, the opening of the first negotiation cluster provides additional momentum to accelerate reforms and could set a new dynamic for the adoption and implementation of necessary changes. Government officials have declared their readiness to deliver key results in passing legislation and making decisions in the coming months. The pace of implementation of the “Kachka–Kos Plan” going forward will be an important indicator of Ukraine’s ability to fulfil its obligations quickly and effectively within the framework of the negotiation process with the EU.
Goal 1 “Adopt comprehensive amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and other legislation to ensure fast and high-quality justice” – 2.5 (used to be 2);
Goal 2 “Ensure that NABU has effective access to impartial, timely and high-quality forensic examinations” – 2 (used to be 0.5);
Goal 3 “Conduct a comprehensive review of the selection and dismissal procedure of the Prosecutor General”– 0.5 (used to be 0);
Goal 4 “Resume the selection process for appointments and transfers of managerial positions and other prosecutorial positions in the Prosecutor General’s Office, regional and district prosecutor’s offices” – 0.5 (score is without change);
Goal 5 “Reform the State Bureau of Investigation” – 1 (score is without change);
Goal 6 “Appoint without delays internationally vetted judges to the Constitutional Court and members of the High Council of Justice” – 1 (score is without change);
Goal 7 “Extend the involvement of international experts in the selection commission for the High Qualification Commission of Judges” – 1.5 (used to be 1);
Goal 8 “Enact a law on declarations of integrity of judges, improving the verification procedure; for the Supreme Court, this involves the temporary engagement of independent experts. Enact legislation aimed at improving the enforcement of court decisions, as well as the digitisation of relevant procedures.” – 3.5 (used to be 2);
Goal 9 “Adopt the Anti-Corruption Strategy and the State Anti-Corruption Program by Q2 2026” – 1.5 (used to be 0.5);
Goal 10 “Develop and strengthen internal control systems against high level corruption” – 1 (used to be 0.5).
Key findings of the second analysis:
- Positive progress has been observed in three areas: substantive discussions have begun on the draft law establishing a center for independent forensic examinations; three draft laws on the anti-corruption strategy have been registered with the Verkhovna Rada; the law on the digitization of court decision enforcement has been adopted and partially implemented.
- Delays and stagnation are evident regarding most items on the plan. Reform of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), revision of the procedure for selecting and dismissing the Prosecutor General, and the reinstatement of competitive selection for prosecutors remain at the same stage, which complicates the plan’s implementation by the end of the year.
- In certain areas, there is a risk of backsliding on progress already achieved. The adopted law on judges’ integrity declarations only formally fulfils this point of the plan: it does not provide for the involvement of international experts in vetting Supreme Court justices, and some of its provisions even weaken existing oversight mechanisms.
The full report is available here: https://neweurope.org.ua/en/analytics/chlenstvo-check-2/
The goal of this expert monitoring is to support Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership through an independent assessment of key reforms. Expert coalition based its research on 10 key reform priorities outlined in the Joint Statement of EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka of December 11, 2025 (the “Kachka–Kos plan”). Assessments planned once every two months. The first edition of Membership-Check was published on April 6, 2026: https://neweurope.org.ua/en/analytics/chlenstvo-check/
Expert coalition:
- Anti-corruption Center MEZHA
- European Pravda
- National Interest Advocacy Network «ANTS»
- DEJURE Foundation
- New Europe Center
- Centre of Policy and Legal Reform
- Anti-Corruption Action Center
- Transparency International Ukraine
