Adaptation of Ukrainian Legislation to EU Standards (Acquis Communautaire): Priorities and Challenges

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to examine the essence and specifics of Ukraine’s legislative adaptation to EU standards (Acquis Communautaire), to identify priority areas of this process, to analyse its achievements and challenges, and to outline prospects for further legal harmonisation.  The study employs methods of systemic analysis, comparative legal analysis, logical generalisation and synthesis of scholarly sources. The analysis is based on Ukrainian and EU legislation, academic publications, and European Commission progress reports. It is established that Ukraine’s legislative adaptation to EU acquis is a comprehensive process of legal, institutional, and governance transformation. Priority adaptation areas are identified: rule of law, anti-corruption policy, competition law, energy, environmental protection, and digitalisation. Ukraine’s achievements in judicial reform, public procurement (Prozorro), and energy market reform are analysed. Key challenges are identified: complexity of acquis, insufficient institutional capacity, resource constraints, and the impact of the ongoing war. Legislative adaptation represents a strategic pathway for state modernisation and integration into the European legal space. The priority must be not only the formal borrowing of EU legal norms but ensuring their genuine implementation, effective enforcement, and compliance with the rule-of-law standards.