Politico learns details of "accession in advance" proposal for Ukraine that is being discussed in Brussels

The European Union is discussing an unprecedented plan that would grant Ukraine accelerated partial EU membership as early as 2027 – without easing requirements on fundamental principles.

Source: Politico, citing sources familiar with the discussions

Details: The plan envisages Ukraine effectively joining the EU in advance, before completing all the formal steps required under the standard accession procedure.

The idea has informally been dubbed "reverse enlargement", as it would allow a country to become an EU member at the beginning of the process rather than at the end, once all membership criteria have been fully met.

EU sources say such an unconventional move appears attractive because it would give Ukraine new momentum for reforms while also reducing the risk that prolonged delays could lead to frustration and disillusionment with European integration.

According to five diplomats from different countries, three EU officials and two Ukrainian officials, the concept includes several areas of work.

The first is ensuring Ukraine's readiness, which is already being implemented through the idea of "frontloading" (described in detail in the European Pravda article).

Ukraine has already received information on work related to three of the six negotiation clusters. At an informal meeting of ministers in Cyprus in March, the Ukrainian delegation may be provided with details on additional clusters so that work on them can also begin.

However, sources stress that this approach does not mean any leniency on reforms, as the EU believes Ukraine will gain the real benefits of membership precisely through the transformation required by the accession process.

The second area involves creating a new format of accession in advance, or reverse accession.

This issue was reportedly discussed at a meeting in Brussels last Friday in the context of how to unblock the EU enlargement process. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is said to have outlined several possible options and models under consideration, with reverse enlargement being one of them.

According to one source, the idea is that a candidate country would join first and then gradually acquire rights and obligations. This option could be attractive for Ukraine under current circumstances, although President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said he does not support Ukraine joining the EU with partial rights.

Within the EU, however, the idea has its opponents, who argue that dividing member states into two categories would be unfair both to Ukraine and to the Union itself. Among them is Germany, where there are concerns that countries admitted in advance might later fail to meet all the required criteria and become a problem.

Another area of work concerns overcoming Hungary's veto on Ukraine's accession. There is hope for progress after the April elections, but contingency plans are also being prepared in case Viktor Orbán remains in power.

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