EU expects to open all negotiating clusters for Ukraine in July

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos expects the remaining five clusters to be opened in July as part of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations.

Source: Kos ahead of a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Two intergovernmental conferences with Ukraine and Moldova will take place in Luxembourg on 15 June, marking the opening of the first negotiating cluster, Fundamentals, with both countries. Kos said this would be "a mega-day, or a mega-Monday for the enlargement process".

"First, we will have the first biggest step for Ukraine and Moldova after they have gotten candidate status in 2023.

So finally, we will be able to open cluster one for both of the countries. Why? It's because they have delivered and it was really time that we do this," the commissioner said.

She stressed that if both countries fulfil their obligations, the EU must also fulfil its own. "That's why I expect that we will open the rest of the five clusters in July," Marta Kos said.

The Fundamentals cluster covers, among other things, the rule of law and fundamental rights, the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform and economic criteria. Under EU rules, no other cluster can be successfully completed until substantial progress has been made on Fundamentals. Negotiations begin with this cluster and it remains open until the very end of the EU integration path.

In total, the negotiations cover six thematic clusters, encompassing 33 negotiating chapters.

Background:

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that the decision to open the first negotiating cluster is a victory not only for the candidate states but also for the whole EU.
• The scheduling of the intergovernmental conference to open the first negotiating cluster became possible after Ukraine fulfilled Hungary's last remaining demand.

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