Clusters open after months of deadlock

The European Union opened two new negotiation clusters with Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday, 13 October, a day after all 27 member states approved the step on Monday, 12 October. The new clusters cover the internal market (cluster 2) and competitiveness and inclusive growth (cluster 3). Accession talks are organised into 35 chapters grouped in six clusters, and Hungary had blocked the two new ones for months, opposing them four times, with its last refusal recorded on 8 September. Moldova's talks are tied to Ukraine's, so the freeze on Kyiv's negotiations also held up Chisinau, which applied to join the EU on 3 March 2022. The blockade came under the government of Viktor Orbán.

What the new clusters cover

Cluster 2 covers the free movement of goods, services, workers and capital, along with EU rules on competition, financial services, company law and consumer protection. Cluster 3 includes taxation, economic and monetary policy, industry, digital transformation, employment, education, research and customs. One report counts nine chapters in the internal market cluster and eight in the competitiveness cluster. Moldova's deputy prime minister, Cristina Gherasimov, told a press conference that the chapters deal with product safety, workers' rights, education quality and the safety of digital services used by citizens. For businesses, she said, the reforms bring simpler procedures and access to a larger customer base.

Minority law clears the way

A few hours after Ukraine adopted a law on minority education, which Hungary had requested in exchange for lifting its veto, the EU agreement followed. Ukraine's parliament had also passed legislation protecting the rights of national minorities, removing an important obstacle to membership. The status of the Hungarian minority in western Ukraine had caused tensions with Budapest, which blocked Kyiv's application, filed a few days after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ireland's minister of state for European affairs and defence, Thomas Byrne, said some member states still raise issues that must be settled, and his team works with Ukraine and the Commission to answer each one. Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Vsevolod Chențov, said Kyiv is fully committed to the reforms needed for accession and wants to carry them out as quickly as possible.

Remaining clusters and timeline

Two clusters remain unopened, which PAP lists as climate and agriculture. Byrne said the Irish presidency aims to open all remaining groups before the end of its term. Commissioner Marta Kos said she expected both countries to open the remaining two clusters before the end of the year, noting that the outlook at the start of the year had been different. Handelsblatt reports that completing talks with Ukraine is not expected before the next decade, and that experts see the country far from EU standards in fighting corruption. Montenegro, with about 620,000 residents, is the furthest along among the candidates and could finish its talks by the end of 2026 if it keeps its reform pace.

What comes next

Each step requires unanimous agreement among the 27 member states, and the final decision on membership needs the same. On the evening of Thursday, 15 October, EU leaders meet for their autumn summit, where enlargement is on the agenda. Both countries still have two of their six clusters to open, and the Commission has set a year-end target for them.