Vladimir Putin had a bad Thursday morning. On Wednesday night, Kyiv and Chișinău won a resounding political victory as EU member states greenlit their substantive membership negotiations.
All 27 EU member states approved the opening of Cluster 1 of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. The announcement came from the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 3 June. “The Cyprus Presidency initiated the preparation for the formal opening of Cluster One in the accession negotiations of Ukraine and Moldova,” the presidency wrote on X, describing the move as “a significant milestone” that sends “a strong message of EU unity and determination”.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko welcomed the news without delay. “Fantastic news — all EU member states have given the green light to open Cluster 1 in accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova,” she wrote. “We are one step closer to EU membership: steadily moving towards our goal.” She thanked the Cypriot presidency and EU member states for their support.
The veto that no longer is
The unanimity was not inevitable. For months, Hungary had blocked progress, tying its support to the treatment of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region, a community of roughly 100,000 people. Under Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who succeeded Viktor Orbán, Budapest reached what it described as a “comprehensive agreement” with Kyiv on expanding linguistic, educational, cultural and political rights for that community.
Mr Magyar announced the deal on 3 June, stating that Ukraine had committed to incorporating these measures into its legislation and EU action plan. In return, Hungary dropped its objection.
You might be interested
The resolution of this bilateral dispute unblocked not only Ukraine’s path but also Moldova’s. Chișinău had faced no direct objections from Budapest, but the two candidacies had been linked in a package approach since both countries received EU candidate status in June 2022. Moldova was indirectly held back by Hungary’s veto.
With that obstacle removed, both countries move forward together. “The Cyprus Presidency, guided by the merit-based approach, is delivering on enlargement, which is a strategic priority and one of the European Union’s most transformative policies,” the presidency said.
What Cluster 1 actually means
Cluster 1, known as the Fundamentals cluster, is the cornerstone of the six-cluster negotiating methodology the EU introduced in 2020. It covers five chapters: Chapter 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights), Chapter 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security), Chapter 5 (Public Procurement), Chapter 18 (Statistics) and Chapter 32 (Financial Control). It also scrutinises the functioning of democratic institutions, economic criteria and public-administration reform.
The cluster is opened first and closed last, just to make matters more confusing. Progress here sets the pace for everything else. Any slippage can freeze the remaining five clusters. Reforms in these areas are considered horizontal: they cut across and condition every other policy field.
In practical terms, Cluster 1 demands that Ukraine build a functioning, independent judiciary, root out corruption, reform its public administration and align its procurement and financial-control systems with EU standards.
The Cyprus Presidency initiated the preparation for the formal opening of Cluster One in the accession negotiations of Ukraine and Moldova. — Cyprus EU presidency
Ukraine formally opened accession talks in June 2024. Technical work with the Commission on all six clusters is already under way. The EU issued Ukraine 145 requirements for opening the negotiating clusters in advance. In March 2026, Ukraine received a second package of conditions needed to complete technical negotiations across all chapters.
Ambitious but realistic
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka set out Kyiv’s ambitions in early May. “Most of them concern aligning Ukrainian legislation with EU standards, as well as the day-to-day functioning of institutions,” he said. “All these requirements are realistic.”
“In the next 12–18 months, we can close most of the negotiation chapters and proceed to signing the EU accession agreement next year,” Mr Kachka added. Even after a potential signing, the treaty must be ratified by the parliaments of all EU member states as well as Ukraine — a process that could take several years.
Several member states and the Commission have signalled their aim to open the remaining five clusters in July 2026 if unanimity holds. Those clusters cover the internal market, competitiveness and inclusive growth, the green agenda and sustainable connectivity, resources and agriculture, and external relations, together encompassing all 33 negotiating chapters of the EU acquis.
What comes after Luxembourg
The formal opening is scheduled for 15 June at an inter-governmental conference in Luxembourg, potentially ahead of the European Council summit on 18–19 June. The procedural sequence now runs as follows. The Council must first adopt the EU–Ukraine and EU–Moldova negotiating frameworks by unanimous decision.
The Commission will issue screening reports and, where necessary, set opening benchmarks that each of the five chapters must meet before substantive negotiations begin. Each chapter can be provisionally closed only when all member states are satisfied that closing benchmarks have been achieved. Regular monitoring and annual reports will track progress — or backsliding.
We are one step closer to EU membership: steadily moving towards our goal. — Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s prime minister
The wider enlargement picture adds political complexity. EU leaders gathered on 4 June for the EU–Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, Montenegro. Montenegro, which opened accession talks in 2012, has advanced significantly further than Ukraine or Moldova and aims to close all chapters by the end of 2026, with potential membership by 2028. Western Balkan candidates are seeking reassurance that the EU will not sideline their long-standing candidacies in favour of geopolitically driven fast-tracking for Kyiv and Chișinău.
Victory precedes lots of work
For Ukraine, the stakes extend beyond procedure. Cluster 1 is the gate through which all other reforms must pass. The rule of law, judicial independence and anti-corruption efforts are not merely technical requirements.
They are the conditions on which the credibility of the entire accession process rests. Opening the cluster is a political victory. Closing it—and closing it well—will be the real test.
