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The opening of accession negotiations by clusters with Ukraine and Moldova is a historic step forward, a group of Members of the European Parliament stated.
This is said in a joint statement signed by David McAllister, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Pekka Toveri, Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee, Siegfried Mureșan, Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee, Michael Gahler, standing rapporteur of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for Ukraine, and Sven Mikser, standing rapporteur of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Moldova, UATV English reports.
“We warmly welcome the opening of accession negotiations under Cluster 1 – ‘Fundamentals’ – with Ukraine and Moldova and the holding of the corresponding intergovernmental conferences. This marks a new stage on the path of the two EU candidate countries following the unanimous decision of the EU member states,” the lawmakers said.
They stressed that Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova have demonstrated extraordinary determination and resilience in advancing their reform agendas, and that today’s decision is “well-deserved recognition of this commitment and the significant progress already achieved through technical negotiations.”
The opening of the Fundamentals Cluster — the foundation of the accession process — underlines the importance of the core values and principles on which the European Union is built: the rule of law, strong democratic institutions, and fundamental rights, the MEPs wrote, expressing confidence that the Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities will do everything possible to fulfill their commitments throughout the accession process.
“In the face of growing external threats, enlargement is one of our strongest tools for strengthening peace, security, and prosperity across our continent. It remains one of the EU’s greatest achievements and our most powerful investment in a shared future. A larger and more cohesive European Union serves our common interests,” the MEPs wrote.
They believe that, in this context, the EU should continue to prioritize a merit-based enlargement process.
“Despite Russia’s devastating aggression, Ukraine continues to make progress on its path toward EU membership by advancing key reforms. Moldova continues to pursue reforms with courage and determination despite enormous geopolitical pressure and internal challenges,” the lawmakers wrote.
They once again stressed that the European Parliament firmly supports Ukraine and Moldova on their European integration path.
“We will continue to support their European journey and ambitious reform agenda, while working closely with all institutions to ensure the swift, fair, and ambitious advancement of this process, as required by this historic opportunity,” the signatories concluded.
As reported, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka stated that after the opening of the first cluster, the remaining five negotiation clusters on Ukraine’s accession to the EU are ready for formal consideration, and their opening could become a matter of the coming weeks. At the same time, Ukraine sees “no negative scenario” regarding any possible blocking of this process by Hungary.
It should be recalled that on June 15, the second EU–Ukraine Accession Conference is being held in Luxembourg after member states approved the opening of the first negotiation cluster on Friday, June 12. In total, there are six thematic clusters covering 33 negotiating chapters. In addition, there are two chapters that are discussed separately, bringing the total number of chapters to 35.
As previously reported, the opening of the first cluster in accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova is an important milestone in the enlargement process, and there is hope that all remaining clusters could also be opened as early as July.
Read also: Kachka: Opening the First EU Negotiation Cluster is a Rubicon Moment for Ukraine
