“Unprecedented progress”: Moldova might open all six negotiation clusters by end of 2026 year

Moldova might open all six negotiation clusters with the European Union by the end of 2026. The statement was made by EU Ambassador to Moldova Iwona Piórko has made statements to this effect during the “Punctul pe Azi” programme on TVR Moldova.

According to the diplomat, the opening four of the six clusters in just four months represents unprecedented progress. Presently, 17 of the 33 negotiation chapters have been opened, while negotiations are already covering 24 chapters.

“It is truly unprecedented progress to open four of the six clusters in just a few months—in four months,” Iwona Piórko said.

The ambassador emphasized the importance of the two recently opened clusters, which cover the internal market, competitiveness and inclusive growth. These areas have a direct impact on the business environment, consumers, fiscal policies, and social protection.

“We have six clusters, and within these six clusters there are 33 negotiation chapters. We already have 17 negotiation chapters open and, as you also noted, it is very important that these two clusters concern the internal market, competitiveness, and inclusive growth, which in fact relate to the four freedoms—the movement of people, capital and so on. They will have an impact on businesses in Moldova and the European Union, on consumers, fiscal policies and social protection,” Iwona Piórko said.

As for the opening of the other two clusters by the end of the year, the diplomat said that this was possible, but depended on the member states of the European Union.

“The opening of these clusters will depend on the member states. During the press conference following the opening of clusters 2 and 3, we heard both Commissioner Kos, the minister from Ireland and Ms. Gerasimov mention that the member states are making significant efforts to open the clusters this year,” the EU ambassador concluded.

At the same time, the ambassador noted that technical work was continuing on all negotiation chapters, including those whose clusters had not yet been officially opened.

Iwona Piórko said that, although Moldova had made significant progress, the main challenge remained the implementation of reforms and monitoring the results.

The ambassador praised the efforts made by the Moldovan authorities and by all partners involved in the country’s European path.





On October 13, 2026, during the meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union held in Luxembourg, Moldova officially opened two more negotiation clusters for EU accession: Cluster 2 – Internal Market and Cluster 3 – Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth. In the summer of 2026, Moldova opened its first two negotiation clusters: Cluster 1 – Fundamentals and Cluster 6 – External Relations, which cover areas essential to advancing the country’s process of accession to the European Union.