Following two informal ministerial meetings with Ukraine and then Moldova, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, announced on Tuesday 17 March that the two EU candidate countries had “technically opened” their six ‘clusters’ of EU accession negotiation chapters.
The official opening of these clusters of chapters has been blocked by Hungary, and the technical opening should enable the countries to make the necessary reforms to be ready, when the political situation allows, to open and close the clusters of negotiation chapters quickly.
Three clusters were opened in December in Lviv (Ukraine) (see EUROPE 13771/22), and the last three on Tuesday. These are the clusters of chapters on competitiveness and inclusive growth (cluster 3), green transition and connectivity (4) and sustainable resources, agriculture and cohesion (5).
According to Ms Kos, the Member States have defined key reform objectives for Kyiv and Chisinau in order to ensure progress in “these essential areas of alignment with the EU”, and the two countries now have all the assets they need to make progress with EU accession reforms.
“This is an important and pragmatic step, which allows the accession process to continue moving forward while the political consensus necessary for the formal opening of the thematic groups continues to be built between the Member States”, explained Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister, Cristina Gherasimov, adding that her country’s objective was to maintain the momentum so that accession becomes a realistic prospect by the end of the decade.
Cristina Gherasimov hoped for a rapid official/political opening of all the clusters of chapters, “which would send a strong signal to [her] citizens and to those who seek to destabilise our region, demonstrating that Moldova’s European trajectory is predictable and irreversible”.
“We cannot waste a single day on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, because it is in our common interest [...] That’s why we really appreciate that the European Union is showing creativity while respecting the rules. It’s also a positive signal for Ukraine, showing how reforms can be pursued in times of war”, said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka.
For both Ukraine and Moldova, Marlena Raouna, the Cypriot Deputy Minister for European Affairs, whose country holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, highlighted the progress made by the countries in their reforms, describing them as “impressive”. Ms Raouna pointed out that, while awaiting the conditions that will enable the six clusters of chapters to be opened, Ukraine and Moldova were not standing still, but were on the contrary speeding up their alignment with the Community acquis and their reforms. According to the Minister, this acceleration is not just a technical exercise, but a political commitment, translated into action and aimed at preparing the ground for credible and substantial negotiations. The EU representatives called on the countries to continue their efforts on the fundamentals - fair justice, the fight against corruption and strong and accountable public institutions - on the Moldovan side, and on the ten priority reforms agreed in Lviv, with a particular focus on the rule of law, the fight against corruption and the establishment of strong and accountable democratic institutions, on the Ukrainian side.
Reform and Growth Facility. Marta Kos also announced that the European Commission had paid Moldova €189 million under the ‘Reform and Growth Facility’, following the country’s successful implementation of 24 of the 26 reforms set out in the reform plan. These reforms include reducing the administrative burden on businesses, strengthening cyber security and emergency response, speeding up the digitalisation of public services and improving budget transparency. National electricity and balancing markets have been launched and the deployment of renewable energies has intensified.
Of the €189 million, €173 million will be paid directly into the State budget and €16 million will finance projects in Moldova through the Neighbourhood Investment Platform (NIP). This payment is in addition to the €289 million already allocated to Moldova in 2025. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)