Ukraine and the European Commission have begun screening under the last outstanding cluster of EU accession negotiations, focusing on Chapter 11, Agriculture and Rural Development.
The three-day meetings, being held in Brussels in hybrid format from 8–10th September, mark the start of detailed comparisons of Ukraine’s rules with the EU acquis in this policy area.
According to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, the agriculture chapter sits within Cluster 5, “Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion Policy”. The Ukrainian delegation is led by Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator Taras Kachka, with officials from the Ministries of Economy, Environment and Agriculture also taking part.
Mr Kachka described the screening as the product of several years of preparatory work with the EU. “This screening session is not a starting point but a culmination of years of cooperation with the EU. We know our strengths, we understand the challenges and today we have the opportunity to lay the foundation for further integration of Ukraine’s agricultural sector into the EU’s common policy,” he said.
The first day’s agenda on 8th September covered principles and strategy for Ukraine’s agricultural policy; support mechanisms and other assistance instruments; national rural development policy; financing of agricultural expenditure and its monitoring; the state of play and development plans for the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS); the Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN) and next steps; and processed products. These topics mirror core administrative and data systems that underpin compliance with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Chapter 11 comprises a substantial body of EU law governing direct payments, rural development measures, market interventions, and horizontal controls. The European Commission has previously underlined that most rules in this field apply from the moment of accession, making correct application, enforcement and effective public administration essential to the functioning of the CAP. For candidate countries, establishing IACS and preparing to participate in the FSDN are typical readiness benchmarks.
Under the current methodology, Cluster 5 brings together several chapters that will be examined in sequence: Chapter 11 (Agriculture and Rural Development), Chapter 12 (Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy), Chapter 13 (Fisheries), Chapter 22 (Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments), and Chapter 33 (Financial and Budgetary Provisions). Ukrainian parliamentary and analytical sources have indicated that the agriculture-related bilateral screenings were scheduled for September, with cohesion policy to follow thereafter.
The Cabinet of Ministers reported that Ukraine formally opened bilateral screening meetings with the European Commission on 8 September for Chapter 11, with sessions continuing until 10th September. The government’s communications have framed the exercise as part of a timetable to complete official screening across clusters by the end of 2025 and to meet opening benchmarks by the end of 2026.
Mr Kachka was appointed Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration on 17th July 2025. His elevation consolidated his earlier role as Trade Representative and Deputy Economy Minister, and formalised his position as chief negotiator for accession talks. Recent official and media notices have quoted him describing Cluster 5 as involving some of the “most sensitive” negotiation topics, reflecting the scope of CAP alignment and related budgetary and administrative requirements.
The agriculture screening follows Ukraine’s completion in July of the fourth negotiating cluster in preparation for accession talks. With Cluster 5 now under way, the Commission and Kyiv will assess legislative alignment and administrative capacity, including the design and roll-out of IACS components (such as land parcel identification, farmer registers and payment controls) and the preparations for the FSDN, which collects micro-level farm data for policy evaluation. The European Commission’s 2024 report on Ukraine highlighted these elements as priorities for further development.
Screening is the phase in which the Commission explains the acquis chapter by chapter and identifies gaps in national law and institutions. On that basis, the EU sets opening benchmarks for each chapter; once these are met, formal negotiations on that chapter can be opened. For agriculture, the process typically requires detailed roadmaps on paying agency accreditation, audit trails, on-the-spot checks, and data flows between central and regional bodies. Outcomes from this week’s meetings are expected to shape Ukraine’s technical roadmap for CAP-related systems and for rural development programming aligned with EU cohesion instruments.
As the Brussels sessions continue through 10th September, both sides are working from a shared understanding of the acquis requirements and the administrative architecture needed to implement them on accession. The screening conclusions will inform subsequent steps across Cluster 5, including food safety and fisheries chapters, before moving to cohesion policy and financial and budgetary provisions.
