Moldova and Ukraine advance in EU accession process

The member states of the European Union have unanimously agreed to begin the procedure for opening a new accession negotiation chapter with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The official ceremony is scheduled for July 14 this year, according to Euronews.

The EU member states today approved, during a technical meeting, the opening of the sixth negotiation chapter – “External Relations” – for the accession of the two states to the community bloc.

The decision adopted today consists of approving a so‑called “screening letter”, a document that confirms the completion of the compatibility analysis between the legislation of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine and that of the European Union for this area.

The next step is the official approval of the invitation to open negotiations at the meeting of the ambassadors of the member states, scheduled for next week, which will be followed by the adoption of the European Union’s common position on July 13. The official opening of the chapter is expected during the Intergovernmental Conference on July 14.

The European Commission and Ukraine have expressed their wish for all six negotiation chapters to be opened before the summer recess, in order to send a clear political signal regarding the acceleration of the accession process.

In this context, the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which took office on July 1, proposed the step‑by‑step opening of negotiations, one chapter at a time. The strategy was supported by all 27 member states.

The Republic of Moldova submitted its application for accession to 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 June 25, 2024, the accession negotiations officially began.

In September 2025, the Republic of 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.

On June 15, 2026, the Republic of Moldova officially opened negotiations for the first cluster – Fundamental Values. This includes areas such as the rule of law, the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform, the judicial system, and fundamental rights.