Ukraine opens EU membership negotiations in Luxembourg after Hungary drops veto

Ukraine has formally opened European Union membership negotiations in Luxembourg, beginning the substantive phase of a process that officials say will take years.

Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka attended the intergovernmental conference that launched the talks. The opening marks a more concrete step than earlier political decisions to back enlargement, and it moves Ukraine into detailed accession work with the European Commission and member states.

The negotiations come as Ukraine continues to fight Russia’s full-scale invasion. That wartime backdrop makes the reform agenda more difficult, but Brussels is still pressing ahead with the process that Kyiv sees as a major long-term political and security goal.

From candidate status to talks

Ukraine applied for EU membership after Russia’s 2022 invasion and later received candidate status. In December 2023, EU leaders agreed to open accession negotiations, but the process then stalled before the current launch.

Formal accession negotiations were opened for Ukraine and Moldova in June 2024, but the latest move is the point at which the first substantive cluster is now starting. The reporting says the opening in Luxembourg is the real beginning of detailed negotiations rather than a symbolic gesture.

The delay had been tied in part to Hungary’s opposition. Reporting on Monday said Budapest has now lifted its veto, clearing the way for the opening of the talks.

What the first cluster covers

The first negotiation cluster focuses on rule of law and democracy-related reforms. That includes anti-corruption efforts, public procurement rules, statistical systems and financial control.

Those areas are central to the EU accession process because Ukraine must align its laws, institutions and standards with the EU acquis across a wide range of policy fields. Officials have said that work will require sustained changes, not a one-time political decision.

The talks begin with screening and detailed negotiation work. Later chapters or clusters cannot open until there are additional EU decisions, and unanimity among member states will still matter at key stages.

A long road ahead

The scale of the changes means the accession process is expected to take years, not months. Ukraine will need to keep advancing reforms while also dealing with the pressures of war.

That tension is one of the central risks in the process. Implementation will be harder under wartime conditions, especially in areas that require stable institutions, administrative capacity and close oversight.

Moldova is moving alongside Ukraine in the same broader enlargement track. The EU’s decision to advance both countries together reflects the bloc’s wider geopolitical push on enlargement, even as each country faces its own hurdles.

For Ukraine, the opening in Luxembourg is an important milestone, but not a final one. Further progress will depend on continued reform at home, continued support in Brussels and repeated unanimous decisions by EU governments as the talks move forward.