Today at 21:51
The European Union will hold intergovernmental conferences with Ukraine and Moldova on June 15, officially opening Cluster 1 – “Fundamentals” of the accession negotiations, UATV English reports.
According to the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, the conferences will formally launch work on the first negotiation cluster for both candidate countries.
“On June 15, under the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, we will hold the first accession conferences with Ukraine and Moldova to begin work on Cluster 1 – ‘Fundamentals’,” the Presidency stated.
The Cypriot Presidency described the move as a historic milestone, saying it had worked intensively to achieve the result.
“This is a landmark achievement and recognition of the aspirations, resilience, and hard work of two candidate countries that have chosen Europe and its values.”
It added that the step demonstrates that the European Union is strongest when it remains united, principled, and open to countries committed to its values.
The decision follows Ukraine’s approval and submission to Brussels of an updated national plan on minority rights protection, drafted in consultation with EU member states.
The Ukrainian government considers it realistic to open all six negotiation clusters by July. Following the opening of the first cluster, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend the meeting of the European Council on June 18–19.
The opening of Cluster 1 marks the formal transition of Ukraine’s EU accession process into the substantive negotiation phase and is widely viewed as one of the most significant milestones on the country’s path toward EU membership.
