Ukraine's EU Accession Challenges: Reforming Europe’s Budgetary and Institutional Hurdles

• In Event: Ukraine and Europe

Abstract

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the likelihood of Ukraine joining the European Union (EU) was a distant prospect at best. Enlargement fatigue plagued many member states, the financial costs of membership were especially high, concerns over corruption and the quality of governance damaged Ukraine’s reputation as a reliable member, and its borders were not secure. And while all these challenges persist along with heightened security constraints, the tenor of the debate over the Ukrainian accession has changed dramatically. In recent months, there have been new concrete steps taken in starting membership negotiations and EU leaders have expressed growing optimism over the prospects of Ukraine’s accession, despite significant budgetary and institutional hurdles on the EU side. This paper examines key areas of reform that the EU must address to avoid the political traps and pitfalls that could derail Ukraine’s accession progress, with a special focus on the allocation of CAP and structural funds and voting rules.

Author

• Hilary Appel, Claremont McKenna College