This event will spotlight Ukraine’s path to the EU integration, focusing on the EU enlargement policy and the impact of rule of law.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU enlargement has returned to the spotlight as a strategic priority. A central theme of the discussion will be staged integration,—a newly proposed approach that allows candidate countries to gradually participate in the EU institutions, policies, and programs before gaining their full membership.

This new enlargement model raises the key questions:

What political, legal, and institutional reforms are required at each stage, and how is progress on rule of law, democracy, and anti-corruption assessed? What treaty or constitutional changes are needed at both the EU and national levels?

Our discussion will unpack these issues by analysing recent the EU proposals and presenting Ukraine’s perspective.

Besides, the event will highlight Ukraine’s significant progress in judicial reform and democratic governance—essential steps towards the EU accession—while also addressing remaining challenges and promoting deeper cooperation with the EU institutions in the justice sector.

This is more than policy talk—it’s about shaping Ukraine’s European future together!

Programme

10:00 | Welcome & Introduction

MEP João Cotrim De Figueiredo, VP Renew Europe Group

MEP Michael Gahler, Group of the European People's Party (TBC)

Marta Kos, Commissioner - Enlargement (video message)

10:20 | Panel I Enlargement Policy Adjustment: case of Ukraine

Moderator: MEP Petras Auštrevičius, Co-Chair of the Renew Contact Group - UA

Keynote speech

Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine - Minister of Justice of Ukraine

• Overview of integration elements in the current enlargement methodology: challenges and persectives;
• Discussion of key staged integration models developed by expert community;
• Ukrainian vision of the optimal EU integration model;
• Introdusing the constitutional changes for the EU of 30+ members;
• Q&A session.

Panelists:

Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs of Denmark (TBC)

Vsevolod Chentsov, Head of the Mission of Ukraine to the European Union

Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General - Neighbourhood & Enlargement Negotiations (TBC)

MEP Thijs Reuten, Socialists & Democrats Group

Vadym Halaychyk, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Co-Chair of Ukraine-EU Parliamentary Assocciation Committee (remotely)

Ivan Nagornyak, Head of EU accession team, EasyBuniness NGO, UA

11:20 | Panel II Impact of Rule of Law in Ukraine

Moderator: MEP Dan Barna, VP Renew Europe Group

• Overview of Ukraine’s recent progress on the rule of law, a key pillar of both reconstruction and EU integration.;
• Rule of law and economic growth in the countries of the previous EU enlargement waves;
• Ukraine’s commitment to judicial independence and institutional transparency, aimed at aligning its legal and governance structures with EU standards;
• The necessity of amending the Constitution of Ukraine to facilitate EU accession;
• Q&A session.

Panelists:

Denys Maslov, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Policy (remotely)

Oleksii Omelian and Vitalii Gatseliuk, Members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine

Virgilijus Valančius, Pravo-Justice expert on EU integration, judge of the EU General Court (2016-2023)

Karyna Aslanyan, Rule of Law Project Lead, Agency for Legislative Initiatives, UA

Iurii Barabash, Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Vice-Rector (remotely)

12:20 | Summary & Closing remarks

MEP Dainius ŽALIMAS, Renew Europe Group

12.30 | Networking with refreshments