Ukraine needs the EU to force it to reform

Ukraine signed a deal on July 15, 2026, with the EU for €10bn in joint drone and long-range missile production, part of the €90bn Ukraine Support Loan.

Ukraine has passed only two of the ten reform bills required under a December plan for EU membership negotiations, with a scorecard rating progress at 15 out of 100.

A Ukrainian NGO coalition's scorecard rates progress at 15 out of 100, and a June 9 law making it easier for judges to hide assets is seen as a backward step.

The EU's enlargement commissioner and Ukraine's minister for European integration signed the ten-point plan last December; only four bills have been put forward so far.

Ukraine's parliament passed a bill on June 9, 2026, that reformers say helps judges hide assets, while a district court in early July tried to ban a report on the State Bureau of Investigation director.