The European Union announced that it would formally resume negotiations with Ukraine on Monday June 12 with a view to its accession, the process having been relaunched thanks to the lifting of the Hungarian veto.
“All Member States have agreed to open the first “cluster” of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova,” EU Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen jointly announced on Friday.
“It is a recognition of the determination, courage and hard work shown by both countries to advance reforms, despite immense challenges,” declared the two leaders, welcoming “a major step” towards the enlargement of the bloc. This first group of negotiation subjects – a “cluster” in Brussels jargon – will focus on the fundamental values and principles that the two countries will have to respect, with a view to one day joining the EU.
To join the European bloc, candidate countries must negotiate a total of six “clusters” comprising dozens of chapters, so that Brussels can ensure that they have properly assimilated the “acquis communautaire”. In other words, that they have adopted and applied the many rules and standards in force in the EU, from the environment to agriculture via the internal market.
Unanimous agreement necessary
Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, hostile to this accession, had vetoed the continuation of the discussion process, although it officially began in 2024, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. This blockage was lifted after the election in April of its main opponent, Péter Magyar. However, Ukraine faces a long road to one day joining the EU.
If it manages to successfully complete the negotiations, which should take several years, its accession will have to obtain the unanimous agreement of the 27, and then be ratified by each member state, via a parliamentary vote or a referendum.
For the EU, in any case, “enlargement is a strategic choice”, affirmed its officials. “In a world marked by increasing uncertainty, a broader European Union is in our common interest,” argued António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen.
