The European Union will officially open the first cluster of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on June 15. The announcement was made on the evening of June 12 by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, who said that all EU member states had agreed to open the first stage of membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova.

According to the two leaders, the move represents “recognition of the determination, courage and consistent efforts” demonstrated by both countries in carrying out reforms, even under difficult circumstances, Deutsche Welle reported.

They also emphasized that EU enlargement is a strategic decision that serves the common interests of European countries in a world marked by growing uncertainty.

For their part, representatives of Cyprus, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, said that following the lifting of Hungary’s veto, member states had agreed on a common position regarding the first negotiation cluster, completing the necessary preparatory process.

The first thematic group of negotiations concerns the values and fundamental principles that countries seeking to join the European Union are expected to share. The overall accession process is structured around six clusters comprising dozens of individual chapters. After negotiations are completed, the admission of new members must be approved and ratified by all 27 EU member states.

Accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova officially began in June 2024. However, because of a veto imposed by Hungary’s previous government, formal negotiations with Kyiv could not proceed, although informal discussions continued at the expert level. Hungary’s new Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, announced last week that an agreement had been reached with Ukraine regarding stronger protections for the Hungarian minority and the removal of the veto on EU-related negotiations.