Ursula von der Leyen and Maia Sandu
Euronews reported this on July 3, citing three diplomats.
On Friday, Moldova and Ukraine cleared another hurdle on their path to joining the European Union: member states unanimously agreed to move forward with opening yet another negotiation cluster.
The unblocking of the sixth cluster—“External Relations”— — marked a new step in the integration process for the two candidate countries and reflects a gradual shift in Budapest’s position following Péter Magyar’s convincing election victory, which signaled a political weakening of Viktor Orbán. For many years, Orbán had held up Kyiv’s application, citing the dispute over the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia.
Mágyar’s new government, together with the Ukrainian side, set about resolving this issue, which made it possible to open the first cluster in early June—a step that Brussels had long awaited.
The European Commission and Kyiv insisted that all five remaining clusters be opened before the summer break, demonstrating their political will to accelerate the negotiation process. However, Hungary resisted such a rapid pace until the very end, citing domestic political circumstances.
With the start of the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU on July 1, a more pragmatic approach was proposed: to open the clusters sequentially, one by one. It appears that this tactic is yielding results. Hungary, along with the other 26 member states, agreed to open the sixth cluster, concerning foreign policy, external relations, and security—an area considered less contentious than others.
The decision, agreed upon on Friday, is formalized in a so-called screening letter, which formally concludes the analytical assessment of the candidate country’s legislation for compliance with EU standards. The letter of invitation is scheduled to be approved at Wednesday’s meeting of ambassadors as a non-discussion agenda item—its approval is expected without objection.
The EU’s common position, required for the final opening of the sixth cluster, is scheduled to be approved on Monday, July 13. The following day, its official opening is expected to be formalized at the Intergovernmental Conference.
Follow our updates
