Euronews speaks with EU enlargement experts about the long process awaiting Ukraine.
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Ukraine is on the cusp of becoming an official candidate to join the European Union.
The long-awaited breakthrough comes after the European Commission endorsed Kyiv's application and put forward a series of reforms and measures the country needs to adopt by the end of this year, including in the fields of corruption, money laundering and media freedom.
While overall positive, the Commission's opinion reveals an extensive list of shortcomings and normative divergences that serve to anticipate lengthy and complex accession talks, during which Ukraine has to gradually incorporate the entire body of EU law.
The ultimate aim is to make the candidate country able to withstand the economic competition within the single market and to align itself with the bloc's high democratic standards.
Is Ukraine ready for this? How long will the whole process take? Can it all be reversed?
Euronews spoke with two EU enlargement experts, Richard Youngs, senior associate at Carnegie, and Dr. Ilke Toygür, research fellow at SWP Berlin.
Watch the video above to know more about Ukraine's EU bid.