Ukrainians have identified the main barriers to EU accession
Ukrainians believe that corruption within government bodies and the complexity of public administration remain the main obstacles to European Union membership. This is evidenced by the results of a public opinion poll, which also revealed skepticism regarding the pace of European integration on the part of the EU itself. The war and other factors ranked significantly lower on the list of reasons.
The largest share of respondents—35.6%—believes that the main obstacle to Ukraine’s movement toward the European Union is corruption within central government bodies. People directly link the slow progress of European integration to problems within the state system, particularly opaque decision-making and weak oversight of the government.
The second most popular response was the view that the European Union itself is in no hurry to accept Ukraine. This was the answer given by 28.4% of respondents, and this factor effectively creates a sense of uncertainty in society regarding the pace of future accession.
Respondents cited other reasons much less frequently. Specifically, 13.6% believe that the main obstacle is the war and related restrictions, 5.2% cite the poor performance of the government and parliament, 4.1% point to the weak independence of the courts and law enforcement agencies, and another 3.3% attribute it to resistance to reforms from influential groups.
Sociologists note that public perception is dominated by the view that internal problems are the key barrier to EU accession, although some citizens also attribute responsibility to external factors. Thus, the picture is mixed: Ukrainians speak simultaneously of their own systemic problems and of the European Union’s own political caution.
The survey was conducted in late May 2026 among 1,002 respondents. Sociologists emphasize that the results have a standard statistical margin of error and reflect general trends in public opinion, not the exact position of every citizen. This is evidenced by data from the “Sociopolis” survey.
The EU may change the terms of temporaryprotection for Ukrainians, according to the European Commission.
As a reminder, Slovakia has automatically extended the term of temporary protection for Ukrainians who fled Ukraine due to the full-scale war unleashed by Russia until March 4, 2027.
In addition, Ukrainians who have received temporary protection in Ireland can breathe a sigh of relief, as the country’s authorities have automatically extended their immigration permits until March 4, 2027.
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