This policy brief by the Ukrainian Centre for European Policy presents the findings of independent monitoring of Ukraine’s progress in meeting the EU’s interim benchmarks under negotiating Chapter 23, “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights”, and Chapter 24, “Justice, Freedom and Security”, as of the end of the first half of 2026. The publication establishes a baseline for assessing compliance with these requirements and identifies the tasks that need the most attention in the next stages of EU accession negotiations.
The analysis covers six areas: judicial reform; anti-corruption; fundamental rights; the fight against organised crime; cooperation on drugs; and migration, asylum, Schengen, and external borders. The monitoring puts the overall level of implementation of the interim benchmarks at 20.9%. This figure serves as a starting point for tracking further progress, rather than a final assessment of reforms.
Particular attention is paid to how the nature of the tasks affects the pace of implementation. Institutional and organisational changes are progressing relatively well, while legislative changes take more time. The greatest challenge at this stage is demonstrating a sustained track record of results in investigations, judicial proceedings, the enforcement of court decisions, and other areas of public authorities’ work. A lack of complete and reliable statistical data also makes these results harder to assess.
Based on the monitoring findings, the brief offers recommendations on reform priorities, speeding up the consideration of the necessary draft laws, and systematically collecting and publishing data on practical results. The publication emphasises that meeting EU requirements involves not only adopting laws and establishing institutions, but also demonstrating changes in how they work on a daily basis.
The policy brief draws on monitoring carried out by a team of independent experts. The assessment does not replace the European Union’s official assessment, but provides a basis for civil society monitoring and discussion of priorities for further reforms.
