Brussels removes "as soon as possible" from EU accession conclusions for Ukraine and Moldova
The European Union has removed the phrase ‘as soon as possible’ from the conclusions on the accession of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, prepared for the European Council summit on 15–16 October. The change was noted after a correspondent for the publication European Pravda compared two versions of the document.
Negotiations on accession to the European Union comprise 33 chapters, grouped into six thematic clusters. To date, both Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, whose accession processes remain closely linked, have opened four of the six clusters. Two of these were opened on 13 October, following months of deadlock caused by Hungary’s opposition to the progress of negotiations with Ukraine.
The process was unblocked after Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada adopted amendments extending the rights of national minorities in the field of education and introducing a special status for schools serving these communities.
Ireland, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, announced, in the context of the European Council summit on 15–16 October, that it intends to open the two remaining negotiation clusters by the end of 2026.
The initial version of the draft conclusions, prepared for the summit, stated that European leaders were looking forward to the opening of all remaining negotiation clusters ‘as soon as possible’. The updated version retains the expectation that negotiations will advance in line with the progress made by each candidate country, removing the wording that expressed the desire for the remaining clusters to be opened as soon as possible in the case of both Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
The Republic of Moldova is set to receive its roadmap for EU accession on 28 October, alongside Ukraine, Montenegro, and Albania. The document will set out the steps these countries still need to take as part of the accession process.
Brussels has decided to grant Chișinău this roadmap to encourage the fulfilment of the commitments made under the Growth Plan, 95 per cent of which have already been met. On 5 October, the EU announced the allocation of the next tranche of funding, amounting to 157 million euros.
