The European Union announced that the process of admitting Ukraine and Moldova will officially be launched next week.
At a meeting in Brussels on June 12, ambassadors of 27 EU member states agreed to officially resume negotiations with the two countries. Negotiations will be launched in Luxembourg on June 15.
Member states have agreed to open the first accession negotiation cluster with Ukraine and Moldova" - European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement.
This is recognition of the determination, courage and reform efforts of the two countries, even when facing very big challenges" - Mr. Costa and Ms. von der Leyen emphasized.
The two leaders also said that expanding the EU is a strategic option. "In an increasingly unstable world, a stronger European Union is in the common interest of all of us" - the statement stated.
EU leaders agreed to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova from December 2023. However, this process was stalled due to Hungary's opposition under Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Both Kiev and Chisinau consider EU membership as an additional security layer against external threats.
The new Hungarian government, which came to power in May, has agreed to cancel the veto power that Mr. Orban used, thereby allowing the accession process to resume.
Accession negotiations with Ukraine officially opened in June 2024, opening a complex process that usually lasts for many years. This process includes negotiations in a range of fields, from agriculture to the rule of law.
The move to open accession negotiations at that time was largely symbolic, to show the EU's strong support for Ukraine after the conflict with Russia broke out in 2022.
Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar reached an agreement with Kiev regarding the rights of the Hungarian community in Ukraine. This has long been one of the issues causing disagreements between the two neighboring countries.
However, Mr. Magyar affirmed that Hungary does not support speeding up procedures for Ukraine to join the EU. He said that Budapest will hold a referendum on Ukraine's EU membership status if Kiev "completes the closing of all 33 chapters of accession negotiations within the next 10 to 15 years".
According to statements from Mr. Costa and Ms. von der Leyen, the talks on June 16 will begin with the "foundation principles" of the accession process. This content includes core standards such as rule of law, governance and basic values that Ukraine and Moldova must meet in the process of moving towards EU membership.
