Ukraine's EU Accession Challenge: Reforming EU’s Budgetary/Institutional Hurdles

• In Event: Ukraine beyond the Battlefield: Domestic Politics and the Road to EU Accession

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 new security constraints, the tenor of the debate over the Ukrainian accession has changed dramatically. Following the Russian full-scale invasion in February of 2022, there is greater optimism over the prospects of Ukraine’s accession, despite significant budgetary and institutional hurdles. 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 when the allocation of CAP and structural funds is renegotiated before enlargement.

Author

• Hilary Appel, Claremont McKenna College