The EU continues accession negotiations with the candidate countries

On Tuesday, the EU held intergovernmental conferences with the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Montenegro, and Albania, with all four countries making progress in the accession process

Corina Cristea, 15.07.2026, 14:00

After opening the first negotiation cluster—on fundamental values—in June, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine took another step toward European Union accession on Tuesday by each opening one more cluster. This is cluster number six, which covers chapters on foreign relations, security policy, and defense policy. Here, according to EU representatives, the Republic of Moldova has already demonstrated that it is a country from which even member states can learn, given its countless successes in countering Russian manipulation and hybrid attacks.

According to the Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos,  “the Republic of Moldova has become one of the countries in Europe with the greatest experience in countering hybrid threats . Over the past years, Russia has tried several times to undermine the European choice of the Republic of Moldova and has failed every time. The lessons learned by the Republic of Moldova are now helping us to protect elections across the European Union and to support partners in our neighbourhood”.

The areas covered by Cluster Six are central to building a united and independent Europe capable of weathering the geopolitical storm we are facing, the EU Commissioner also stressed.

“I often say that Moldova is the best student in my class, but now I’m revising that statement and saying that it’s also the top performer,” added the European Commissioner, noting that the Republic of Moldova has made tremendous progress in terms of its judicial system, press freedom, and anti-corruption efforts.

Ukraine has also opened the same cluster, and the Commission says that both countries are ready to open the remaining four. However, this decision requires unanimity among the member states in the Council, where there is resistance—though not a complete blockade—from Hungary, where the previous government opposed the opening of the negotiation clusters for nearly two years.

Also on Tuesday, the European Union held intergovernmental conferences with Albania and Montenegro. However, those two countries are at a more advanced stage of the accession process.

Montenegro, which submitted its application as early as 2008, has now closed two more negotiation chapters and is currently the country closest to joining the EU, with accession expected in 2028.

Albania, a candidate since 2009, has also closed three more negotiation chapters.  As for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, they submitted their applications immediately after the outbreak of the war triggered by Russia in Ukraine in 2022, but their negotiation process has been much faster, and the Republic of Moldova is now viewed within the Union as the leader in the pace of reforms. (MI)