As Kyiv pushes for EU membership by 2027, potentially as part of a peace deal with the Kremlin and Washington, EU leaders are looking for ways to fast-track Ukraine’s accession. Joining the bloc has historically taken years, if not decades. But European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has reportedly floated a bold idea to turn the enlargement process on its head. Ukraine (and possibly other candidates) could gain provisional EU membership before completing the standard set of reforms to the rule of law and governance.

The sudden show of flexibility is no coincidence. As negotiations to end the four-year war stumble on, Ukraine may soon face the prospect of painful concessions to reach a deal – and EU leaders are searching for ways to help sweeten them for domestic consumption. A fast track to EU membership could in theory strengthen Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s position, signalling to Ukrainians that their sacrifices were not in vain, sending a clear message to Moscow that Ukraine’s identity as a European democracy is irreversible, and possibly providing additional security guarantees. The EU might also gain additional leverage at the negotiating table.

“Reverse enlargement”, the name given to the new method of EU accession, under discussion, would represent a radical change. In effect, candidate countries would join but only unlock the full benefits of membership after meeting the required standards. Other less ground-breaking proposals, include “front-loading” enlargement, which would let Ukraine move ahead with technical reforms while leaving the toughest political decisions over approving its accession to a later date. Another concept gaining traction is “gradual integration”, which would grant phased access to membership benefits as reforms progress.

All the proposals share the same goal in seeking to bypass the bottlenecks that have kept EU enlargement moving sluggishly in recent years. Yet each of them, and “reverse enlargement” most of all, faces steep political hurdles – starting with the likelihood of a Hungarian veto so long as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán remains in power. A radical remake of the accession process would require unanimous backing, and many member states besides Hungary are likely to resist. Those uneasy about extending a mutual assistance clause to a country at war are unlikely to be reassured by what could turn out to be a fragile peace deal. Others, such as France or the Netherlands, will likely continue to insist that enlargement must remain merit-based. Further far-right gains in parts of the bloc could add further obstacles.

Even if member states agree, granting Ukraine rapid accession would set a precedent for the eight other candidate countries and risk creating a second-tier membership. The move could also prove largely symbolic. Regardless of when Ukraine is labelled an EU member, the 27 existing states in the bloc will still need to agree on extending the concrete benefits of membership, such as voting rights, access to funds and freedom of movement – the tangible gains that are precisely what many Ukrainians seek at the end of a punishing war.