politics
EU ministers open second negotiating cluster for Ukraine, two years after membership application
EU affairs ministers formally approved the opening of Cluster 6 on external relations for Ukraine on Tuesday. Ireland, holding the rotating EU Council Presidency, called the step a milestone in negotiations. Moldova is also expected to open the cluster the same day.
Jul 14, 4:24 AM·1m read1 source
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EU affairs ministers formally approved the opening of Cluster 6 for Ukraine on Tuesday, Euronews reported. The cluster covers external relations and marks the second negotiating cluster opened for the country after Cluster 1 on fundamentals and rule of law in June. Irish Minister of State Thomas Byrne said the decision reached another milestone on Ukraine’s EU membership journey.
“This is a testament to the country’s commitment to move forward as quickly as possible,” Byrne stated. Ireland holds the rotating EU Council Presidency and speaks for the 27 member states in the talks. Cluster 6 is also expected to open for Moldova on Tuesday.
A range of accession chapters are scheduled to close the same day for Albania and Montenegro. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said on her way into the meeting that today’s momentum must now be turned into delivery on the ground. Ukraine and Moldova applied for membership in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The move ends a two-year deadlock that former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán maintained over the treatment of the Hungarian minority in western Ukraine. Orbán was ousted by Péter Magyar in Hungary’s recent parliamentary elections. Magyar’s government worked with Ukraine to resolve the minority issue, allowing progress to resume.
The European Commission considers both Ukraine and Moldova technically ready to open all clusters. Further steps now rest with the 27 member governments.
