EU Commissioner Kos says Orbán not needed to define Ukraine's EU accession requirements
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has said that problems with trust in Ukraine due to the situation around the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) in the summer of 2025 still persist.
In an interview with European Pravda, when asked whether it was possible to speak of restored trust in Ukraine on the part of the EU after the repeal of the controversial laws, Kos said it was not at all the case and that the issue would remain. She said that laws could be adopted and repealed, but trust could not simply be restored, adding that once trust was no longer complete, any action by a partner would still raise questions about its motives.
At the same time, she said Ukrainian civil society was helping her rebuild that trust. Kos noted that civil society in Ukraine genuinely plays an important role and referred to polling showing that 72% of Ukrainians support EU membership, with the fight against corruption ranking as highly as prosperity among the expected benefits. She added that she would like to see such a society in every candidate country.
Kos also said the EU enlargement methodology had been created for a world that no longer exists. She said the international order had changed, with the United States, China and Russia operating according to a logic of spheres of influence. She said the EU was facing external opponents of enlargement who wanted both candidate countries such as Ukraine and the EU itself to fail. For that reason, she said, the Commission was exploring ways to adjust the enlargement methodology to better reflect current challenges and was preparing for discussions with member states, as any decision would require the support of all 27 EU members. She added that the Commission was in the final stage of drafting possible options and scenarios.
According to Kos, the draft proposals would be ready in a few months. She also noted that there were already problems with decision-making due to vetoes, and not only regarding Ukraine.
At the same time, she said Ukraine's path toward membership had not stopped, but full membership would only be possible once comprehensive reforms were carried out. She said she could not name a date, although in her view it should happen as soon as Ukraine meets the criteria.
Kos also stressed that Ukraine would not negotiate changes to EU laws to suit itself. She said that either a country accepts the entire acquis or it is not an EU member. Referring to the so-called "frontloading" format launched with Ukraine, she said that neither Ukraine nor the EU needed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to define the accession requirements. She explained that the purpose of the format was to ensure that Ukraine clearly understood what needed to be done under each of the criteria within the clusters already under discussion.
She added that the Commission's task had been to make sure Ukraine clearly understood the requirements, and that it was now up to Ukraine to complete its "homework."
