Lithuania slams EU delays in Ukraine and Moldova accession talks
Lithuania has called for an immediate acceleration of EU accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova, urging Brussels to open all remaining negotiation chapters without delay.
Speaking at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on July 13, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated there are no "objective obstacles" preventing the simultaneous launch of all negotiation clusters for both candidate countries.
Budrys criticized the decision to open only one new cluster this week while postponing the remaining groups until autumn, describing the repeated delays as "extremely counterproductive."
Cluster 6 set to open
Despite Vilnius pressing for faster progress, the EU will officially open Cluster 6 (External Relations) with Moldova and Ukraine on Tuesday, July 14.
The decision received unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states last week, as confirmed by Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Cristina Gherasimov.
Gherasimov noted that Moldova continues to advance in its accession journey based on its own merits, following official invitations issued to both Chisinau and Kyiv
Translation by Iurie Tataru
