The assessment will come in an annual report by the Brussels-based European Commission detailing how far countries looking to join the 27-nation bloc have advanced in meeting the necessary economic, legal and other criteria.
A decision is then expected during a Dec.14-15 summit of EU leaders on whether to launch formal membership negotiations with Ukraine, a top priority for Kyiv as it fights the Russian invasion.
Of the other hopefuls, an EU official said this week a similar recommendation could come for Moldova, where the bloc is also engaged in a geopolitical tug-of-war with Russia.
Any enlargement decisions require unanimous backing of all the bloc's members, something that might be difficult to achieve for countries in the Western Balkans, according to EU officials and diplomats.
Budget decisions also require unanimity in the bloc and some member countries have asked to also raise spending on tackling natural disasters like wildfires and floods, sources said.
Organizations:
Commission
Locations:
Ukraine, Brussels, Kyiv, Russian, Hungary, Moldova, Russia, Georgia, Western Balkans