Twelve EU countries push for key next step in Ukraine, Moldova accession process

A dozen EU member states have made a joint push to move forward the accession process for candidates Ukraine and Moldova and formally kickstart membership talks by the end of June, according to a letter to the Belgian EU presidency, seen by Euractiv.

“We jointly call for the adoption of the negotiating frameworks for Ukraine and Moldova by the General Affairs Council in June at the latest, in order to convene Intergovernmental Conferences with both countries by the end of June 2024,” the ministers wrote in their letter, dated 5 June, to their Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib.

Belgium, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency until the end of June, has in recent weeks been pushing to reach a decision on the issue. An intergovernmental conference with a candidate country marks the formal start of accession talks, a process that usually takes years.

“In light of the results achieved and the ongoing reform efforts in both Ukraine and Moldova, which the Commission has previously reported on, we believe that now is the time to move forward,” the ministers wrote.

The letter was signed by the ministers from Czechia, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Portugal, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia, Romania, and Slovakia.

The joint push from the twelve EU member states comes after their ambassadors last week voiced hope they would be able to agree on the negotiation frameworks for Ukraine and Moldova in the first week of June, despite some remaining objections from Hungary.

While some EU countries would still require parliamentary approval, almost all 27 member states were in favour of holding the first intergovernmental Conferences (IGC), according to people familiar with the talks.

However, Budapest continues to block Ukraine, but not Moldova, and has requested additional changes to the draft agreement due to 11 bilateral issues regarding national minority rights, trade, anticorruption, agriculture, internal market, and good neighbourly relations.

“Reflecting the outcomes of the debate (…) of 29 May, we fully support your efforts and are pleased to see the progress being made,” the ministers said.

“By agreeing to these negotiating frameworks and convening Intergovernmental Conferences, we will de facto and de jure open the accession negotiations with both countries,” they added.

EU envoys are expected to revisit the matter on Friday (7 June), with the possibility of making a political decision.

The European Commission is expected to give EU ambassadors an oral update on both countries’ progress on accession reforms. EU officials say both are expected to receive a positive assessment.

“Opening the accession negotiations would bring additional motivation to both Ukraine and Moldova,” the ministers wrote in their joint letter

“Given the dire situation on the ground in Ukraine and the upcoming presidential elections and EU referendum in Moldova, this would boost morale and further the work on reforms in these countries,” they added.

They also urged that in order “to continue the credible enlargement process, the EU should provide tangible benefits for the populations of the respective countries”.

“This can be achieved by the gradual integration of Ukraine and Moldova into the European Union, through phasing into individual EU policies and programmes before full membership in the EU,” they stressed.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]

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