EditEU opens accession talks with wartime Ukraine: a first in enlargement history
The opening of negotiations follows the completion of what EU officials describe as the fastest screening process in the history of enlargement
After months of political wrangling among member states, Ukraine’s EU accession process has entered a new stage. The opening of the first negotiation cluster places the spotlight on Kyiv’s reform record and begins what is likely to be the most demanding phase of its path towards membership.
Ukraine formally entered a new phase of its European Union membership bid on Monday as the EU opened the first cluster of accession negotiations, known as “Fundamentals”, ending months of political blockage and moving Kyiv’s candidacy into the substantive stage of the enlargement process.
The launch of the first negotiation cluster was approved at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg attended by representatives of the 27 EU member states and Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Taras Kachka. Moldova, which is progressing through the accession process in parallel with Ukraine, also opened its first cluster.
The opening of negotiations follows the completion of what EU officials describe as the fastest screening process in the history of enlargement. Between July 2024 and September 2025, Ukraine underwent a detailed assessment of its legislation against EU law, involving 34 meetings between European institutions and more than 1,000 Ukrainian officials.
The “Fundamentals” cluster is considered the cornerstone of accession talks. It covers areas including the judiciary, fundamental rights, justice and security, public procurement, statistics and financial control. Under EU enlargement rules, it is always the first cluster to be opened and the last to be closed.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the step as a milestone for both Ukraine and Moldova.
“This is an important milestone and recognition of the aspirations, resilience and hard work of the two candidates who have chosen Europe and its values,” the rotating Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU said in a statement.
The cluster focuses on issues that Brussels regards as essential for future membership, including the rule of law, democratic governance, anti-corruption reforms and the effective functioning of public institutions.
According to EU enlargement experts, progress in these areas will determine the pace of the broader accession process. Negotiations can be slowed or even suspended if a candidate country is found to be in serious breach of the Union’s fundamental values.
For Ukraine, the immediate challenge will be to demonstrate that reforms promised in recent years are being implemented in practice rather than remaining legislative commitments on paper. Last July anti-corruption reforms suffered a major setback and Ukraine had to deploy many efforts to restore confidence.
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The opening of negotiations also formalises a set of benchmarks that Kyiv must meet before the cluster can be provisionally closed. These include strengthening judicial independence, maintaining anti-corruption reforms, improving law enforcement institutions and protecting fundamental rights.
Among the priorities identified by European institutions are preserving the independence of anti-corruption bodies, reforming law enforcement agencies, strengthening judicial governance structures and ensuring transparent appointments to key state institutions.
The move comes after a prolonged delay caused by political opposition from Hungary under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Budapest had repeatedly blocked the opening of accession chapters, arguing that Ukraine had failed to adequately protect the rights of the Hungarian minority in the Transcarpathia region.
The situation changed following Hungary’s parliamentary elections in April 2026. The new Hungarian government announced that, after negotiations with Kyiv, agreements had been reached on education, language and cultural rights issues affecting the Hungarian minority.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar subsequently gave his support to opening the first cluster, removing the principal obstacle that had prevented unanimous approval among EU member states.
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The issue of minority rights nevertheless remains part of the accession framework. During the intergovernmental conference, Ukraine reaffirmed its commitment to implementing an agreed action plan on minority protection, while avoiding any additional commitments beyond those already negotiated with Budapest and other member states.
Beyond the political symbolism, the opening of the cluster has important legal consequences. It formally establishes the conditions that Ukraine must fulfil and provides greater certainty that the accession criteria will not be altered unilaterally by individual member states later in the process.
Attention is now shifting to the remaining five negotiation clusters covering the internal market, competitiveness, green transition, agriculture and cohesion policy, and external relations.
Kyiv hopes all six clusters can be opened within weeks. Kachka said Ukraine expects decisions on the remaining clusters during June and July, while Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos recently described the coming month as crucial for Ukraine’s European integration.
According to Kachka, the opening of the first cluster makes it technically possible to proceed with negotiations on the remaining chapters almost immediately.
Yet significant challenges remain. Ukraine continues to pursue EU membership while fighting a full-scale war against Russia, creating an unprecedented situation in the history of EU enlargement.
The timeline for eventual membership remains uncertain. Ukrainian officials have previously floated 2027 as a possible target date for accession, linking EU membership to the country’s long-term security guarantees after the war.
However, several European leaders consider that timetable unrealistic. Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has suggested that full accession could take a decade or more, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has argued for exploring intermediate forms of integration before full membership.
For now, the opening of the “Fundamentals” cluster marks a point of no return in Ukraine’s accession process, transforming its EU ambitions from a political commitment into a formal negotiation governed by legally defined conditions and benchmarks.
Sources: Suspilne and European Pravda.
Caption: (L-R) European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend a joint press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, 24 February 2026. Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in 2022. EPA/STRINGER
Updated: June 16, 2026 - 05:30
