Will Ukraine move a step closer to EU membership today?

As a teenager, Viktoria Pogrebniak visited the European Commission building in Brussels on a European Union-sponsored youth initiative.

That winter, Ukrainians, both young and old, occupied Kyiv's Maidan Square to demand democratic reforms and expressed their hope that one day their country would join the EU. Russia's invasion and 20 months of war has fast-tracked Ukraine’s bid to join the club - it was granted candidate status by the European Commission in June 2022 on the basis that seven key criteria are met, a set of wide-ranging reforms to bring the country in line with EU administrative norms.

According to Transparency International, Ukraine ranked 116th out of 180 countries in its Global Corruption Barometer in 2022 - a worrying score for an EU applicant country.In January this year a number of senior officials, including regional governors, resigned amid a series of corruption allegations, some involving the supply of war materials and reconstruction projects.

The country’s justice ministry is also pursuing a number of current cases against oligarchs for fraud and money laundering charges, and has seized sizeable assets. Dear President @ZelenskyyUA, we are impressed by the reforms Ukraine has made in the midst of a war.If this happens, Ukraine can reach its ambitious goal. pic.twitter.com/ydD97QAZAf

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