Two EU accession clusters for Ukraine to open in first half of 2025, EU official says

Two European Union accession clusters for Ukraine are expected to open during the first half of 2025 under Poland’s presidency of the EU Council, a high-ranking EU official told the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 18.

EU accession negotiations are structured according to clusters and chapters. During the negotiations, a candidate country prepares to implement EU laws and standards.

Poland’s EU presidency is set to begin on Jan. 1, 2025, with the clusters likely to be opened closer to the summer, according to the EU official.

The first two clusters are expected to be the "Fundamentals," which includes the judiciary, fundamental rights, public procurement, and financial control chapters, as well as the "Internal market" cluster, which covers consumer and health protection, free movement of goods and capital, free movement for workers, intellectual property law, and other chapters.

These developments align with Ukraine’s ambitious goal of accelerating its integration into the EU.

Speaking on Dec. 17, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized Ukraine's commitment to advancing its EU accession process.

“During Poland’s EU presidency, we expect to open at least two clusters and six in total. Our goal is very ambitious — to open all the clusters next year,” he said.

The EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said that Ukraine could potentially join the bloc by 2029 if it successfully implements necessary reforms.

The European Commission has praised Ukraine's progress in areas such as judicial reform, the rule of law, and anti-corruption measures.

Ukraine was granted EU candidate status in June 2022, with the European Council approving the launch of accession talks in December 2023.