European Commission President: EU to open first negotiation cluster with Moldova on days to come

Moldova and Ukraine on the days to come will take a new step in their process of joining the European Union, by opening the first negotiation cluster. President Ursula von der Leyen today made statements to this effect at a conference held in Brussels.

According to the European official, the decision will mark the transition to the next stage of the accession process and the formal start of negotiations on topic-related chapters.

“In the coming days, we will open the first cluster with Ukraine and Moldova. This practically opens the door to the next phase of the accession process, the formal beginning of negotiations,” said Ursula von der Leyen.

The announcement was made in the context of the presentation of the 21st package of sanctions prepared by the European Union against Russia. In her speech, the European Commission president addressed both support for Ukraine and the EU’s enlargement policy.

Referring to the candidate countries from the Eastern Partnership, Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the progress of reforms implemented by Ukraine and reiterated the European Commission’s readiness to continue backing the states on the path of European integration.

“Ukraine has delivered results. It is time for us to deliver as well. We now have a historic opportunity to do this,” said the President of the European Commission. Moldova submitted its application to join the European Union on March 3, 2022, and on June 23, 2022, it obtained candidate country status, with a recommendation to continue reforms. In November 2023, European assessments confirmed Moldova’s progress and recommended the opening of accession negotiations, a decision approved by EU leaders in December 2023. On 25 June 2024, the accession negotiations officially started.

In September 2025, Moldova completed the bilateral screening with the EU – a stage that analyzes the compatibility of national legislation with the European acquis. In mid-December 2025, the country launched technical discussions on the first negotiation chapters. The Moldovan authorities emphasized that this stage marked a crucial phase of the accession negotiations, which will underpin future progress in the process of Moldova’s integration into the EU.