Ukraine and Moldova will jointly open the first negotiation cluster within the framework of the process of accession to the European Union. About this reported European Commissioner for EU Enlargement Marta Kos.
She explained that she had a meaningful conversation with the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olga Stefanishyna. During the dialogue, Kos confirmed support for the simultaneous and as soon as possible opening of the first cluster for Ukraine and Moldova.
“Ukraine has made significant progress in reforms, and the European Commission has provided a clear positive recommendation to the EU Council to move forward with the first cluster,” Kos noted.
Olga Stefanishyna, for her part, confirmed Ukraine’s willingness to cooperate with EU member states in solving all open issues. She also said that she was waiting for a meeting in Brussels.
Previously, the European Union considered the option of separate consideration of Ukraine’s and Moldova’s applications for accession. At the same time, Hungary is blocking the start of negotiation clusters regarding Ukraine’s membership in the EU from the beginning of 2025. Representatives of the Hungarian government stated that “Membership of Ukraine in the EU will be a burden both for the bloc and for Hungary.”
During consultations with the Hungarian side, the Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna, criticized the idea of starting negotiations only with Moldova, calling such statements unconstructive. Currently, Ukraine is actively implementing the recommendations of the European Union outlined in the 2023 and 2024 Expansion Packages, which are aimed at implementing industry initiatives and reforms.
