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EU Ambassadors Agree to Open Membership Talks With Ukraine and Moldova but Consider Limiting Their Voting Rights
The 27 EU nations decided Friday to begin formal accession negotiations with both countries on Monday in Luxembourg. The move follows Ukraine’s application shortly after Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Los Angeles TimesAudio version
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Ambassadors from the 27 EU nations agreed Friday to open membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova. Negotiations will begin Monday at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg that will address initial chapters grouped as clusters on the values and principles of the bloc. Ukraine applied for EU accession less than a week after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Moldova’s application followed similar regional pressure from Russia. ” Countries seeking EU membership must complete negotiations across 35 policy chapters covering areas from agriculture to trade. Each chapter requires unanimous approval from all 27 members both to open and to close, and the full process can take years.
The EU Commission has praised Ukraine for reforms enacted during wartime, though deep concerns about corruption and justice standards remain. Hungary had previously blocked the opening of talks, but a new government in Budapest has eased that opposition. Last month German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged partners to consider “associate membership” for Ukraine.
Under his proposal, Ukraine would attend EU meetings without voting rights and hold non-voting associate seats on the European Commission and European Parliament. France and the Netherlands have also floated faster work-arounds short of full membership. Ukraine views EU membership as an important security guarantee once the war with Russia ends.
Its preferred option remains NATO membership, which the Trump administration has ruled out while fighting continues. Russia has opposed NATO expansion but has not objected to Ukraine’s EU path.
