The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine could start the negotiations of the first EU accession hood in June
The opening of the first chapter of negotiations for the accession of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to the European Union could take place in about two weeks. According to the publication Euractiv, which cites European sources, the European Commission will officially propose, on June 16, the launch of the first package of negotiations regarding the integration of the two states into the EU.
The Republic of Moldova submitted its application for EU membership on March 3, 2022/PHOTO: Archive
The first chapter covers the fundamental aspects of accession: the functioning of democratic institutions, economic criteria and compliance with the basic principles of the European Union. The proposal will be discussed at the meeting of the ministers of European affairs, organized in Brussels, in the format of the General Affairs Council.
The cited sources claim that this timetable would allow European leaders to approve the decision two days later, during the European Council meeting.
The other chapters of negotiations for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine could be opened in July, according to the quoted source.
The subject was also addressed in the recent discussion held by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The Kiev leader said that Ukraine is ready for the opening of all six negotiation clusters and hopes that the first — Fundamentals — will be launched already in June.
Previously, the deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Taras Kacika, stated that Ukraine could close most of the negotiation chapters in the next 12-18 months and could reach, in 2027, the stage of signing the accession treaty.
However, experts point out that the pace of reforms remains a major problem. In an analysis entitled “Accession to the EU in 2027: promises exist, reforms do not”, Tatiana Șevciuk, coordinator of international programs of the Center for Combating Corruption, explains why the implementation of the key requirements imposed by Brussels is making difficult progress. Among the arrears cited are the justice reform, the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, the reform of the State Investigation Bureau and the role of international experts in the selection process for key positions.
The accession process has been blocked in recent months mainly by the opposition of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. However, after the change of government in Budapest, the new Hungarian executive sent signals regarding a more moderate approach to the expansion of the European Union.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar is due to visit Brussels this week and could condition support for the enlargement process on unblocking EU funds previously suspended for Hungary due to violations of EU rules under the Orbán government.
In April, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, stated that negotiations on the first “cluster” of chapters for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine could begin after the completion of the political transition in Hungary, possibly during the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council, which lasts until the end of June.
The process of joining the European Union is structured in six thematic negotiation groups, which bring together different chapters of European legislation. The opening of each group requires the unanimous approval of all 27 member states, and any state can block the negotiations if it considers that the candidate country no longer respects the assumed reforms.
The Republic of Moldova submitted its EU accession application on March 3, 2022, and on June 17 of the same year, the European Commission issued its opinion on the EU accession application.
On June 23, 2022, the European Council granted the Republic of Moldova the status of a candidate country and invited the European Commission to submit a report to the Council regarding the fulfillment of the conditions set out in the opinion of the European Community bloc regarding the application for accession.
In November 2023, the European Commission issued a recommendation to start accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova. In December 2023, the leaders of the EU states decided to start accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova and invited the Council to adopt the negotiation framework, after the completion of the relevant stages set out in the Commission's report of November 8, 2023.
In accordance with the revised enlargement methodology, the Council approved the negotiating framework on 21 June 2024 and, four days later, the European Union organized the first intergovernmental conference with the Republic of Moldova to start accession negotiations with the country.
Accession negotiations take place during intergovernmental conferences between ministers and ambassadors of the EU member states and the candidate country. The negotiations cover the body of common rights and common legislation (the “EU acquis”) and are divided into different chapters or thematic groups of chapters, covering different policy areas. Accession conferences can be organized either at ministerial or deputy level.
On June 25, 2024, the EU organized its first accession conference with the Republic of Moldova, formally starting accession negotiations.
