How to draft and proceed with the laws in the EU accession process: to enter the EU timely or not?

By Green Deal Ukraina

Ukraine faces the immense challenge of integrating approximately 170,000 pages of EU laws, regulations, and directives into its national framework within a short timeframe. 

The legislative process poses a potential bottleneck due to the country's post-Soviet legal traditions, which emphasize highly detailed and codified laws. Unlike many EU Member States that adopt a flexible legal framework approach, Ukraine’s rigid and prescriptive legal drafting technique could significantly hinder its EU accession efforts. 

This report examines these challenges, analyzes differences in legal traditions, and provides recommendations for aligning Ukraine’s legislative practices and  parliamentary procedure with EU standards.

For Ukraine to meet its EU accession goals, it must substantially transform its legal drafting approach and shorten parliamentary procedure for laws transposing the EU acquis. The transition from a detailed and rigid post-Soviet legal technique to a more flexible, principles-based framework is essential for timely legal transposition. Without these reforms, Ukraine risks delaying its EU membership ambitions well beyond 2030.