Kyiv / Brussels
November 4, 2026
Today, the European Commission published its 2026 Enlargement Report on Ukraine, assessing the country's progress in aligning with the EU acquis and advancing reforms necessary for EU membership. The organisations of the Build Ukraine Back Better Platform (BUBB) welcome Ukraine's continued advancement in the accession process and call for the swift opening of the remaining negotiating cluster 4 on Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity, and cluster 5 on Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion, alongside clear benchmarks and timelines for their implementation.
Organisations of BUBB contributed to the Commission's assessment by providing an overview of Ukraine's progress in aligning and implementing EU environmental, transport, agriculture and animal welfare policies. Civil society organisations underline that many of the challenges and priority actions identified in the Roadmap for the Sustainable Recovery of Ukraine, developed by the BUBB Platform in 2025, remain relevant today.
The organisations stress that environmental and climate challenges cannot be postponed to later stages of the accession process. Addressing them now is essential both for Ukraine's EU integration and for responding to the extensive environmental destruction and degradation caused by Russia's war against Ukraine.
Iaroslav Teleshun, Policy and Governance Program Manager at WWF-Ukraine, said:
“As Ukraine advances towards EU membership, the focus should increasingly shift from legislative alignment to implementation capacity. Stable institutions, adequate staffing and effective environmental governance will be critical to translating accession commitments into tangible results. The opening of Clusters 4 and 5, accompanied by concrete benchmarks and implementation timelines, provides an opportunity to strengthen institutional capacity, accelerate reforms and establish a clear framework for sustainable recovery and long-term convergence with the EU acquis.”
Vladlena Martsynkevych, Ukraine Reconstruction Team Leader at CEE Bankwatch, said:
“Environment and climate -related reforms and measures are costly and provisions for their implementation should begin already now. They will help enhance effectiveness of public and private investments alongside the modernisation and innovation of infrastructure and agriculture. The Ukraine Facility Regulation requires that at least 20% of investments under the Ukraine Plan and support under the Ukraine Investment Framework contribute to climate and environmental objectives and that measures be compatible, to the extent possible, with the ‘do no significant harm’ principle. A green transition will increase the efficiency and competitiveness of Ukraine’s economy within European and global markets, fostering long-term development.”
Pavel Havlíček, Research Fellow at Association for International Affairs (AMO), said:
“This year’s enlargement report on Ukraine once again illustrated how much progress and work has been delivered on the side of Ukraine as well as other enlarging partners benefitting from a new momentum in the EU’s enlargement policy. It is incredibly important to see the new EU consensus on opening of new clusters of chapters, which now needs to continue with cluster 4 on Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity, and cluster 5 on Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion, as promised until the end of this year.”
Valentyna Vozna, Ukraine Policy Officer at NGO Eurogroup for Animals, said:
“Ukraine’s progress in aligning with EU animal welfare rules is a welcome step on its path to accession. Today, Ukraine has a unique opportunity to align directly with the EU’s modernised animal welfare legislation, rather than with rules that are being revised. Equally important is enforcement on the ground: investing in strong official controls will give Member States confidence that Ukrainian and EU producers meet the same standards, and pave the way for the smooth integration of Ukraine’s agricultural sector.”
Mariia Diachuk, Deputy Director of the Centre for Environmental Initiatives Ecoaction, said:
“This year, the EU reaffirmed that the Nitrates Directive implementation remains relevant and timely. For Ukraine, its active implementation will drive structured collaboration with agricultural producers, creating incentives for them to adopt sustainable practices that build resilience and competitiveness. Beyond agricultural and environmental targets, the government also has an immediate opportunity to deliver progress on Chapter 22. By addressing a low-hanging fruit through the prompt establishment of a pilot monitoring committee adhering to the partnership principle (for example, within the state program for just transition), Ukraine can demonstrate strong alignment with the EU’s Cohesion Policy.”
Anastasiia Nahorna, Senior Analyst on Ukraine at Transport & Environment, said:
“Ukraine’s initial steps to implement the Public Service Obligation in rail and road transport are a crucial milestone, creating the basis for compensating operators of public transport services. Momentum must now be maintained, especially what concerns the PSO in road transport. We welcome the European Commission’s acknowledgement that alignment with the EU acquis needs to speed up in at least four other areas: road charging and tolling, alternative fuels infrastructure, sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) and TEN-T frameworks. Support for transport electrification, both private and public, should also remain the priority of the Ukrainian government”.
ENDS
For more information and media requests: Anna Ackermann, buildukrainebackbetter@gmail.com
Notes to editors
About the Build Ukraine Back Better Platform
The Build Ukraine Back Better Platform (BUBB) is a European-Ukrainian civil society platform working for a sustainable, resilient, and future-oriented recovery of Ukraine in line with European Union standards and principles. Since 2022, BUBB has brought together more than 50 organisations from 17 countries, including think tanks, non-governmental organisations, environmental networks, humanitarian and charity organisations, and associations of municipalities. It serves as a space for coordination, exchange, and collective action.
About the Enlargement Report
The annual Enlargement Report provides a comprehensive assessment of Ukraine's alignment with the EU acquis and the progress achieved across negotiating chapters during the reporting period. The report comes at a significant moment in Ukraine's accession process. Since signing the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement in March 2014 and obtaining EU candidate status in June 2022, Ukraine has made substantial advances, and by October 2026 officially opened four of the six negotiating clusters.