June 4th, 2026, 06:43June 4th, 2026, 06:43
After a two-year standoff, Ukraine and Moldova can hope for the official start of negotiations on EU accession. As the current Cypriot EU Council Presidency announced in the evening, preparations have been initiated for the formal opening of the first phase of negotiations. Ideally, the talks should be able to start on June 15th on the sidelines of an EU ministerial meeting in Luxembourg.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.Image: keystone
The EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova actually opened in June 2024. However, the opening of the first phase of negotiations with Ukraine was blocked by Hungary with a veto. Only after the long-time Hungarian head of government Viktor Orban was voted out in April did the process move again.
The new Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced on Wednesday evening an agreement with Ukraine on an agreement to strengthen the minority rights of ethnic Hungarians in the eastern neighboring country. Magyar had made such an agreement a condition for agreeing to EU accession talks with Ukraine.
Negotiations can also fail
In the first phase of negotiations, officially called the first cluster, countries must, among other things, demonstrate that their justice system and public administration meet EU standards. The accession negotiation process is thematically divided into six sections, each consisting of several chapters.
The negotiations usually last for years and it is not certain that they will be concluded successfully. The EU accession negotiations with Turkey, for example, started in 2005 – but they are now completely on hold following the country’s continued regression in the areas of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. (dab/sda/dpa)