EU may advance Moldova's membership bid in September separately from Ukraine, Politico reports
The European Union is weighing whether to soon advance Moldova's bid to join the bloc, potentially putting it ahead of Ukraine in membership talks, Politico reported on Aug. 15, citing three diplomats and an EU official.
Brussels has been leading simultaneous accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, but Kyiv's bid has been obstructed by Hungary and its Kremlin-friendly prime minister, Viktor Orban.
Under the reported plan, EU ministers could agree in early September to open the first negotiating cluster with Moldova, a key legal step toward membership, ahead of the country's crucial parliamentary elections on Sept. 28.
Such a move would be a major boost for pro-EU President Maia Sandu and her party, which faces pressure from Moscow-backed forces. Four left-wing and center-left parties in Moldova are uniting to form a pro-Russian electoral bloc for the upcoming vote.
Siegfried Muresan, an EU lawmaker who chairs the EU-Moldova Association Committee in the European Parliament, told Politico the decision would "send a signal to Russia" and counter Kremlin claims that Moldova's accession bid is stalling.
According to Politico, leaving Ukraine on hold risks straining ties with Kyiv. An undisclosed Ukrainian diplomat told the outlet that it could send a wrong signal to Ukraine, especially amid discussions on the country's future between the U.S. and Russia.
Both Ukraine and Moldova have met the requirements to open a first negotiating cluster, the European Commission said, but Ukraine's progress is stalled by opposition from Budapest. Without unanimous approval, Ukraine cannot move forward.
Diplomats are reportedly exploring ways to show some progress to Kyiv, such as access to the Horizon Europe research program or the Erasmus student exchange scheme.
The European Commission recommended launching accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova in November 2023, and the European Council agreed on it a month later.
The EU's accession process divides EU law into six thematic "negotiating clusters," each grouping related chapters that candidate countries must align with.
Ukraine formally launched accession talks with the EU in June 2024, but none of the six clusters has been opened yet.
In May, Kyiv announced it had completed all domestic procedures to launch the first cluster, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said in January that Ukraine's "ambitious goal" was to open nearly all negotiation clusters by the end of 2025.
The media reported in July that Brussels had considered opening the first cluster with Ukraine in mid-July, but the plan did not proceed due to internal EU reasons.
