EU agrees to launch membership talks with Ukraine next week

EU ambassadors agreed on June 12 to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova next week, formally moving both countries into the next stage of the European Union membership process.

The talks are set to begin on Monday in Luxembourg at an intergovernmental conference. That meeting will launch the detailed negotiation phase that follows candidate status and the earlier political decision to move the two countries forward.

The decision comes after months of delay and bargaining inside the bloc. EU governments have been weighing how quickly to advance enlargement while still preserving the unanimity rules that govern the opening and closing of each stage of accession.

Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine and Moldova were granted candidate status in 2022 and formally began accession negotiations on June 25, 2024, but the process then slowed amid political resistance in some member states.

What the launch means

Opening accession negotiations does not mean either country is close to membership. It starts a long review of alignment with EU law and standards across 35 policy chapters, with rule of law, democratic institutions and governance reforms central to the process.

Negotiators will now move into the cluster and chapter work that examines how closely Ukraine and Moldova already match the EU acquis. Even after talks begin, each chapter still has to be opened and later closed with unanimous backing from member states.

EU Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the decision, framing it as recognition of reform progress and a strategic choice for peace, security and prosperity. Their comments underlined how strongly Brussels is linking enlargement to Europe’s longer-term stability.

Political obstacles inside the EU

The move also tests EU unity on enlargement. AP reported that Hungary had previously blocked the opening of negotiations, but its position softened after a change of government.

The Guardian reported on June 5 that Hungary's new government had dropped its veto, opening the way for Ukraine and Moldova to move to the next stage later in June. That reporting also showed how much of the process has depended on internal EU bargaining rather than only on conditions in Kyiv and Chisinau.

The debate over enlargement has also widened beyond the immediate launch of talks. The Guardian reported that EU leaders have discussed faster or more gradual integration models, including associate-membership ideas for Ukraine, though those proposals remain controversial in Kyiv and in some EU capitals.

Why it matters

For Ukraine, accession talks carry major political and strategic weight beyond symbolism. EU membership has become part of the country's long-term security and reconstruction debate as it continues wartime reforms under intense scrutiny.

For Moldova, the decision keeps its EU path aligned with Ukraine's and reinforces the bloc's effort to deepen ties with eastern partners. Together, the two bids remain central to the EU's broader effort to show that enlargement is still a credible geopolitical tool.

The immediate next step is Monday's meeting in Luxembourg. After that, negotiators will begin the slower work of accession clusters, policy chapters and legal alignment, a process that can take years and still depends on sustained reform and unanimous support from member states.