How EU Candidate Countries from the EaP are aligning with the EU’s Environmental Acquis

Candidate countries to join the European Union align their national legislation with the EU acquis (the collection of common rights and obligations that constitute the body of EU law), including Chapter 27 (Environment and Climate Change). This means having legal acts related to air quality, water management, waste, biodiversity, industrial pollution, chemicals, forestry and climate change. Within the EU, environmental policy is crucial as it has direct and proven effects on people’s health, living conditions as well as economic and touristic development. Furthermore, in the EU enlargement process, environmental standards are not only about legal harmonisation, but also about ensuring that candidate countries can provide the same level of environmental protection as current Member States. 

Harmonisation requires extensive legal reforms, institutional capacity, as well as substantial financial investments. Therefore, for the EU candidate countries from the Eastern Partnership region, the progress under Chapter 27 is an important indicator of environmental governance reforms and readiness for EU accession. Chapter 27 creates concrete accession requirements, as candidate countries must approximate their legislation to EU environmental standards and demonstrate their ability to implement and enforce these rules effectively. 

The significance of Chapter 27 can also be observed through previous enlargement experiences. For instance, during the latest enlargement, specifically, Croatia’s accession process, the chapter was regarded as one of the most demanding areas of the acquis due to its extensive legislative requirements, implementation obligations and substantial investment costs. Although Croatia achieved considerable legislative alignment, challenges related to wastewater treatment, waste management, industrial pollution and environmental infrastructure required transitional arrangements and long-term implementation plans. The Croatian experience demonstrates that progress under Chapter 27 reflects not only environmental policy alignment but also broader institutional and financial preparedness for EU membership.

Beyond legislative alignment, Chapter 27 has direct effects on the people living in these countries, as illustrated again by Croatia’s EU accession experience. Specifically, the environmental approximation required investments in wastewater treatment, sewerage systems, and waste management infrastructure, driven by compliance with EU environmental directives, particularly the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) and the Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC). These investments have produced measurable environmental and social outcomes. According to the European Environment Agency, Croatia now consistently scores among the highest bathing water quality levels in the EU, with approximately 96% of bathing waters classified as “excellent”. Practically, this reflects reduced microbial pollution in coastal zones, safer conditions for swimming and recreation, and improved environmental quality in densely populated coastal municipalities during peak seasonal pressure. The environmental infrastructure improvements directly support local employment in small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in family-run accommodation, hospitality, and service sectors that depend on environmental quality and coastal ecosystem integrity. These effects are directly experienced by citizens through cleaner public spaces, improved sanitation conditions, and reduced environmental health risks. In practical terms, this means that citizens benefit from cleaner coastal and urban environments, with fewer pollution-related health risks and improved overall quality of life, especially in tourism-dependent regions. This linkage is particularly relevant for Georgia, where tourism accounts for around 15% of Georgia’s GDP, making it the most tourism-dependent economies among the Eastern Partnership countries. This evidence demonstrates that Chapter 27 translates regulatory compliance into tangible improvements in citizens’ daily lives. 

Ukraine’s environmental alignment is taking place under exceptional circumstances. Since receiving candidate status and opening accession negotiations, Ukraine has been advancing legislative approximation while simultaneously managing wartime challenges and reconstruction needs. The accession framework requires reforms across all areas of the acquis, including environment and climate policy, which are highly relevant due to the ecocide caused by Russian aggression. The 2024 Enlargement Package notes that environmental reforms are progressing, but also highlights that implementation capacity and enforcement remain areas requiring continued attention, particularly under wartime conditions.

Recent European Commission assessments indicate significant progress in Moldova’s accession preparations. According to the 2024 Enlargement Package, Moldova made progress in 31 of 33 negotiating chapters and showed particularly strong advancement in Chapter 27. The Commission also reported an improvement in Moldova’s level of preparation for implementing the environmental acquis. More specifically, Moldova established a new national committee to coordinate climate actions across different government sectors. In addition, the country adopted the new National Forestry Code in 2024, which provides a framework for the sustainable use of forest resources, and strengthens the protection of biodiversity.

Georgia has continued environmental approximation through its Association Agreement and candidate country framework. The environmental alignment is increasingly occurring within a quite uncertain accession environment. Earlier Commission assessments showed that Georgia remained at an early stage of preparation in environment and climate policy while continuing work on climate strategies and sustainable development measures.

Chapter 27 provides one of the most detailed frameworks for assessing environmental alignment among Eastern Partnership candidate countries. Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia are all engaged in legislative approximation to EU environmental standards, but progress differs depending on institutional capacity, political context and administrative implementation. The experience of Croatia, the most recent country to complete the accession process in 2013, illustrates that successful alignment with Chapter 27 depends on more than legislative approximation. Effective implementation requires sustained financial investments, administrative capacity and enforcement mechanisms capable of translating legal commitments into environmental outcomes. In this regard, the progress achieved by Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia under Chapter 27 may serve not only as an indicator of environmental governance reforms but also as a broader measure of their readiness to assume the obligations of EU membership.