Overview
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Jan. 28 that accession on Jan. 1, 2027 is not possible, citing the years-long process required by the Copenhagen criteria.
- German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul backed giving Ukraine a fair chance to join but stressed there will be no shortcuts comparable to other candidates.
- EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said she shares President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's 2027 goal and that many member states do as well, while underscoring that reforms and institutional groundwork must come first.
- Kos was due to brief EU foreign ministers on progress toward a European Commission “prosperity plan” for Ukraine, as Ursula von der Leyen said the EU and U.S. are close to an agreement built on productivity, market integration, investment, donor coordination and reforms.
- Divisions persist inside the bloc, with reporting that Hungary is blocking the opening of accession clusters, Viktor Orbán claiming leaders saw a confidential 2027 scenario, and a two-tier accession approach reportedly under consideration by the Commission.