Ukraine Needs 300 Laws to Join EU: Official’s Verdict

March 16, 2026, Kyiv. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Taras Kachka, has outlined the approximate scale of legislative work required from the Verkhovna Rada on the path to European Union membership. The figure is predictably large, but unavoidable.

— “If we talk about all our tasks, it’s about 300 laws,” the Deputy Prime Minister stated.

Let’s examine what this number entails and how the government plans to manage such a substantial legislative workload.

For American and British businesses monitoring Ukraine’s progress, these 300 laws are the ultimate due diligence checklist. Each piece of legislation is a step toward aligning Ukraine’s market with Western legal standards, directly impacting future investment security and operational predictability for international firms.

Systemic Approach Instead of Targeted Amendments

Taras Kachka proposes avoiding a scattergun approach of individual bills, advocating instead for the formation of large legislative blocks. This strategy allows for the coverage of entire branches of law, saving time otherwise lost in endless coordination. He shared details in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

Instead of fragmenting laws one by one, it is more effective to form several major bills covering key areas. For example, this includes judicial proceedings, law enforcement agencies, and the Criminal Procedure Code, Kachka explained.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, some tasks are being addressed at the level of the Cabinet of Ministers. This concerns forensic expertise, the creation of supervisory boards, and competitive appointments in the Prosecutor General’s Office.

— “There must not only be a procedure, but also the internal organization that will carry out the selection—it too must be trusted,” he added.

A New Generation Anti-Corruption Strategy

Among the upcoming initiatives, the Deputy Prime Minister highlighted a renewed anti-corruption strategy. This represents the second generation of systemic work to cleanse state procedures.

— “The first generation of this strategy worked very well; not 100% of the points were fulfilled, but the implementation level is quite high, and it helps to eliminate such corruption-prone factors in the bureaucracy. That’s why this updated anti-corruption strategy is very important. It will also focus on the rule of law sphere, identifying areas for improvement,” Kachka explained.

The strategy includes provisions for financial control and audit. The Deputy Prime Minister noted the report by Marek Belka, who chairs the audit committee for the Ukraine Facility.

— “Marek Belka, who chairs the audit committee within the Ukraine Facility, prepared a very good report on internal audit. Its implementation will effectively bring us into line with the EU. These are the first steps that Marta Kos and I will be focusing on,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Role of International Experts in Integration Processes

Kachka paid special attention to the involvement of international specialists in shaping Ukrainian institutions and conducting competitions. In his view, this experience requires mutual adaptation.

“This experience is painful for everyone because you need to understand Ukrainian culture and the new elements that international experts bring. Then various insinuations arise, questioning whether they work independently or are being ‘manipulated’ by someone,” he explained.

Involving international experts is necessary to build trust within the European Union. Kachka offered a simple and clear analogy to explain why this is critically important.

— “This is necessary so that they trust us inside the EU. Why is this trust needed? You have to understand that the EU works when a customs officer in the Mykolaiv region issues a document, and that document is valid all the way to Portugal, without any doubt,” the Deputy Prime Minister explained.

On Accession Timelines and the Realism of Expectations

Responding to questions about the prospects of accession by 2027, Kachka commented on the position of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who refrains from naming specific dates. Previously, President Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine would do everything to prepare for accession by 2027 and wants a specific date. In December 2025, Ukraine and the EU began substantive accession negotiations.

— “What we heard from Ursula von der Leyen is an absolutely normal position—that she cannot speak about a date. And this, by the way, is an absolutely normal statement from the President of the European Commission, because we are conducting these accession negotiations with the member states of the European Union. Until all member states of the European Union agree on a certain date, the Commission simply cannot speak in those categories. I think this discussion must continue until that date appears,” the Deputy Prime Minister explained.

According to him, active implementation of reforms in the rule of law sphere could create a more optimistic atmosphere for accelerating the negotiation process. Some EU member states, as Kachka noted earlier in the same RBC-Ukraine interview, insist on a thorough verification of reforms and are willing to wait another 10-20 years for accession.

— “But if we are more ambitious with reforms in the rule of law sphere, it will create a more optimistic atmosphere,” Kachka added.

He has also previously noted that Ukraine never advocated for joining the EU “on credit,” as formal membership without meeting the conditions would not bring the country real advantages. Kachka detailed how Ukraine plans to secure a specific accession date in his interview with RBC-Ukraine.

In Lieu of an Afterword

Three hundred laws—a figure that might seem excessive. But if viewed not as a bureaucratic barrier, but as a roadmap for systemic change, the picture shifts. This is not merely about aligning legislation with European norms, but about creating functioning mechanisms that are understandable to both Ukrainians and our international partners.

Ukraine is consistently moving along this path. December 2025 marked the beginning of substantive accession negotiations. The work on 300 laws represents the next steps on this journey. The quality of this work will determine not only the accession date, but also the kind of country we will live in tomorrow.