Integrating Ukraine's agrifood sector into the EU: Challenges, sensitivities and policy priorities

The opening of four negotiating clusters in 2026 has marked significant progress on Ukraine’s path towards EU membership. Following Cluster 1 “Fundamentals” and Cluster 6 “External Relations”, Ukraine and the EU opened two economic clusters on 13 October: Cluster 2 “Internal Market” and Cluster 3 “Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth”. Ukraine aims to open the remaining two clusters by the end of 2026. Among those, Cluster 5 “Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion” is considered one of the most challenging for Ukraine and the EU due to the size of the sector, the scale of reforms needed and the challenges posed by Russia’s ongoing war. Currently, agricultural reforms and legal approximation are taking place under wartime conditions, with severe risks and limited financing for local farmers and daily attacks by Russia that disrupt their activities across the country. To manage this politically sensitive sector and its potential impact on the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), various accession models, such as gradual integration, are being discussed to ensure a mutually beneficial process.