Brussels, Belgium. The European Union moved Ukraine, Moldova, Albania and Montenegro closer to membership on Tuesday through a series of accession conferences, as geopolitical changes following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine renewed the bloc’s enlargement drive.
EU affairs ministers formally approved the opening of Cluster 6 for Ukraine and Moldova, while several negotiating chapters were provisionally closed for Albania and Montenegro.
Ukraine and Moldova
Cluster 6, which covers external relations, is one of the core areas of EU accession negotiations. Ukraine had previously opened only Cluster 1, covering fundamental issues including the rule of law.
Ukraine and Moldova applied for EU membership after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, seeking to strengthen their security and defence against Russia. Their accession paths are linked.
The opening of an additional negotiation cluster for Ukraine ended a two-year political deadlock involving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who repeatedly used Hungary’s Council veto power to block progress over a dispute concerning the treatment of the Hungarian minority in western Ukraine.
Western Balkan candidates
EU officials described the series of accession meetings as an accession “Super Tuesday,” with several individual negotiating chapters set to be provisionally closed for Western Balkan frontrunners Albania and Montenegro.
Montenegro remains the frontrunner in the accession process, with its total number of provisionally closed chapters rising to 18. The Irish Presidency will seek to conclude negotiations on the remaining 15 chapters.
Albania provisionally closed its first three chapters, marking what officials described as a historic day in its EU accession process.