Ukraine is on the verge of opening the first fundamental cluster of negotiations on accession to the European Union. We have long since completed our “homework” from our partners and are ready to move forward with practical reforms during the negotiation process.

We are confident that our success on this path depends not only on technical requirements or documents, but also on the quality of democratic governance, independence of institutions and the activity of civil society. This is exactly what we discussed at the forum “Through Reforms to the Stars”, which took place in Kyiv the day before and brought together representatives of the government, parliament, international organizations, diplomatic missions, civil society and the European Union.

Olha Stefanishyna, Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine and Minister of Justice of Ukraine, in her speech emphasized the key role of civil society and the expert community in promoting reforms and preparing for the negotiation process with the EU: “Our European integration process would not have been possible without the help, experience and expert support of civil society, our think tanks and their experts. I will always remember that whenever we needed help, we came together, side by side, and worked as a team. I would like to express my gratitude for the work already done. But the real work will begin after the start of negotiations, because then the tasks will move into the realm of practical implementation. A new decade of transformations is ahead, and we are entering it with a clear vision.”

So is Ukraine really close to a historic step on its European integration path? How can the Roadmaps be effectively implemented within the negotiation process? And finally, why are democracy and security directly linked in the context of Ukraine’s accession to the EU?

The answers to all these questions can be found in our summary of the discussion. You can also watch the recordings of the discussion in Ukrainian and English.

Denmark’s Leadership: What Should Ukraine Expect from Copenhagen’s Presidency of the EU Council?

Starting July 1, the Council of the European Union will be chaired by the Kingdom of Denmark. Copenhagen is a reliable partner of Ukraine not only in the European integration context, but also in the security sphere. And it is this partner that will determine how actively Ukraine and the EU will move forward in the negotiation process in the near future.

The forum “Through Reforms to the Stars” began with a public conversation between Ole Egberg Mikkelsen, Ambassador of Denmark to Ukraine, and Olga Lymar, Executive Director of the RPR Coalition.

Olga Lymar thanked Mr. Mikkelson for his country’s support: “On behalf of civil society and all Ukrainians, I thank Denmark for its political and military support on our way back to the European family. It is extremely important for us, especially in the long run to strengthen the partnership between Ukraine and Denmark.”

In response, Mr. Ambassador emphasized: “I want to assure you: Denmark will strongly support this process [of Ukraine’s accession to the EU]. But the main thing we are doing for Ukraine now is not political support, but three things: weapons, weapons and more weapons. Because without weapons, Ukraine will not be able to survive as a free and sovereign state.”

This conversation set the tone for all subsequent discussions: European integration is impossible without security, and support from partners must have both a political and a practical dimension.

Practical implementation of reforms after the start of negotiations

Ukraine’s progress towards the EU is inevitable. Experts of the RPR Coalition have repeatedly emphasized that the issue of opening negotiations on the first cluster requires purely political will of the European community. We have been ready for this step for a long time – but what happens next?

How to ensure the quality fulfillment of Ukraine’s European integration commitments? How to coordinate different agencies and effectively evaluate the results of changes?

This was discussed by the participants of the second panel “Next Steps in the Transformation Agenda: Implementation Measures, Ensuring the Implementation of Roadmaps and Coordination of Efforts”.

“This is an extremely difficult moment for Ukraine – its democracy and sovereignty are under attack. But Ukraine’s determination to move forward in the negotiation process, despite certain rules, is admirable. It is important that you move forward in this way. You are demonstrating that there are no obstacles and that Ukraine should follow this path,” said Maya Tsvitan Grubishyn, Head of the EU-Ukraine Justice Sector Integration Support Component, EU-Pravo-Justice Project.

Viktoriya Melnyk, coordinator of the European Integration Program at the Center of Policy and Legal Reform, also spoke about obstacles: “We have lost financial support from the U.S. government, which is a significant share, from 60 to 80 percent. However, think tanks and research organizations remain. And this is a great force for the implementation of roadmaps, policies and other documents, including strategies for reforming public administration, the judiciary and anti-corruption programs.” The expert emphasized that despite all the crisis moments, the reforms did not stop for a moment.

Ukraine’s European integration is taking place in unique conditions of unprecedented military aggression by Russia. Daria Gaidai, Deputy Head of the Office of the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, began her speech with this point: “When we talk about the negotiation process, we often lose sight of the broader context. It is worth remembering that integration is taking place against the backdrop of a full-scale invasion. In July, at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), we will continue discussions on the rule of law and its strengthening. Ukraine has already prepared and handed over three roadmaps to the European Commission – on the rule of law, democratic institutions and public administration reform.”

Roadmaps are specific steps that Ukraine has to take within a particular cluster. For example, in the context of the first Pillar, we are talking about the areas of public administration reform, strengthening democratic institutions, and ensuring the rule of law. In essence, the Roadmaps coordinate the efforts of all branches of government, civil society, and international partners to effectively address all the requirements of the cluster.

Asier Santillan Luzuriaga, Head of the European Integration, Governance and Rule of Law, Civil Society Section at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, said that these roadmaps have been approved at the government level, some of them have even been agreed upon in Brussels: “Three of them, along with the action plan on national minorities, have been agreed with the European Commission. We believe that all the key issues have been taken into account, and the documents themselves have been developed in an open, inclusive manner. So I would like to congratulate our Ukrainian partners on this true partnership that has lasted throughout the process.”

Polina Li, Advisor to the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine – Minister of Justice of Ukraine, also emphasized the importance of partnership and coordination in her speech: “Business, civil society, MPs involved in the working groups – we all bear responsibility for ensuring that these measures [envisaged in the roadmaps] are implemented in a timely and high-quality manner so that they can be evaluated by the European Commission and meet the EU’s expectations. I believe that this process will be successful, because Ukraine has demonstrated great strategic vision and maturity.”

The panel discussion confirmed that effective implementation of reforms requires not only political will, but also coordinated interaction of all stakeholders, from the government and parliament to civil society and international partners.  Despite all the challenges, Ukraine is keeping up the pace of reforms thanks to cooperation at all levels.

Institutions of democracy as a security factor for Ukraine and Europe

Not only effective coordination and partnership, but also the sustainability of democratic institutions are key to Ukraine’s progress towards the EU – despite the full-scale war and external challenges. That is why the next discussion of the forum was devoted to the role of democracy and good governance as a foundation for security and sustainable development of Ukraine and the entire European space.

This was emphasized by the first speaker, Olena Shulyak, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Chair of the Committee on the Organization of State Power and Local Self-Government: “We understand that authoritarian regimes are based on fear and disinformation. These things have no place in a democratic society. Democracy is the development of a free society with democratic institutions, in particular through the implementation of roadmaps. The Parliament plays a very important role in this – to adopt specific indicators and continue the implementation process with regular monitoring.”

Not only is Ukraine strengthening its democratic institutions, but it can also teach its European partners how to do so, as the EU’s system of institutions (and especially decision-making) has long been in need of reform. “At all stages of the negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, we must have two equal subjects that enrich each other. By looking for an answer to each problem set out in the roadmap for the functioning of democratic institutions, Ukraine is giving an answer not only to itself, but also to European institutions. This is important, because if we look at the process from a bilateral perspective, we are looking for an opportunity to learn from the EU experience and open up new spaces for development,” said Oleksandr Kliuzhev, Advisor to the Head of the Central Election Commission, expert on electoral law reform.

Next, the panelists discussed the practical strengthening of democratic institutions, namely the functioning of various branches of government in Ukraine, including the executive branch.

The state apparatus must meet the challenges of the times. Oleh Voitovych, Deputy State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, explained how this adaptability of the government can be ensured: “The state apparatus should be as efficient as possible, both in terms of the number of employees and the financial resources that are attracted for its maintenance. The apparatus should be staffed by efficient and highly motivated professionals, and I fully support the idea that people who serve the state should be paid well and maintain integrity. We can also be world champions in transparency, but it is very important to maintain a balance with professionalism.”

Ihor Koliushko, Chairman of the Board of the Center of Policy and Legal Reform, agreed with him: “A ministry is effective not when it implements the minister’s ideas, but when it tells the minister what to do and when to do it. If we pin all our hopes on the fact that every institution should have a brilliant minister, this will never happen. Instead, there should be an effective apparatus. And the name of such an institution does not matter – it is important that politicians ensure the work of this apparatus.”

During the discussion, a new strategy for public administration reform was mentioned. In general, the reform of public administration and management is one of the key reforms on our way to the EU, because the implementation of changes in the clusters of burnouts depends on a high-quality state apparatus. Andriy Zabolotnyi, moderator of the panel and expert in the area of “Governance: Policy Making, Accountability, Civil Service” at the Center of Policy and Legal Reform, noted: “A new strategy for reforming public administration was mentioned, and many civil society organizations are already initiating steps to prepare it, so we are looking forward to it. Many organizations are present here, including the CPLR and the RPR Coalition, which will be happy to respond to your initiatives.”

The discussion was summarized by Olena Sotnyk, Advisor to the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine – Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Managing Director of Rasmussen Global in Ukraine: “First, we need to stop scolding ourselves. I have a lot of arguments in favor of the fact that even despite our current special situation, we are already fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria in many areas. Second, roadmaps are not a panacea. They are based on the EU’s expectations and recommendations, but they are not an exhaustive list of reforms and changes – this is our own homework. And the third aspect is the timeframe we have committed ourselves to. We have to work in all directions not sequentially but in parallel, because there is a lot of work to be done.”

The panel discussion once again confirmed that strong democratic institutions and effective public administration are not abstract principles, but daily practice that brings Ukraine closer to EU membership.

Democracy on the Road to the EU: Partnership, Equality and Responsibility

Vitaliy Portnikov, a publicist and journalist, Shevchenko Prize winner, summarized the discussions and closed the event, reminding us that democracy is not an abstraction, but a daily struggle for human dignity, rights and freedoms. This is what distinguishes Ukraine from the aggressor country and unites us with the democratic world.

“Democracy is the equality of every person in society. Understanding one’s own responsibility for what is happening in the country, having the right to elect the government and be part of it, the right to get an education, the right to leave the country freely and return – all this is about democracy and human beings. It may seem that this is an abstraction and that it has always been so, but this is not true. In this war with Russia, they want to deprive us of all this again. That is why those who feel part of the democratic world cannot accept this,” he concluded.

“Through Reforms to the Stars” Forum confirmed that strong democratic institutions, coordinated partnerships, and continuous reforms are what move Ukraine forward, even in the most difficult times. We are grateful to everyone who joined the discussions and created a common European course – let’s change Ukraine together!

The event on the road to the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC-2025) was organized by the Centre of Policy and Legal Reform and the Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition in cooperation with the Office of the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine – Minister of Justice of Ukraine and Democracy Reporting International (DRI) within the framework of the project “Democratic Integration, Resilience and Engagement” (Ukraine-DARE), which is implemented with the financial support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. The opinions and views expressed during the event do not necessarily reflect the position of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

The event is held with the information support of the useful solutions media Rubric, Espresso TV channel, and Detector Media online media.