EU members back first accession talks with Ukrainefirst accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova
The European Union moved on Thursday to open the first cluster of accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova after Hungary and Ukraine reached a deal on Hungarian minority rights.
The breakthrough clears a key procedural hurdle in the two countries’ paths toward EU membership and shows the bloc still has consensus on enlargement despite the war in Ukraine.
- Ukraine applied for EU membership days after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
- Moldova has also faced pressure from Russia-backed separatist tensions in Transnistria.
- EU enlargement has historically reshaped borders, trade, and legal standards far beyond the bloc itself.
