EU Council expects opening of clusters with Ukraine, Moldova on EU accession – Kachka

The EU Council expressed its approval of the successful completion of the screening (assessment of legislation) by Ukraine and Moldova and took into account the European Commission's assessment of readiness to open negotiations in six "clusters," which is a key step in the EU accession process, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka has said.

"The Council of the EU welcomes the successful and timely completion of the screening by Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and takes note of the Commission's assessment of the readiness of the six Clusters to open. This is stated in the Presidency Conclusions on Enlargement, adopted by the 26 Member States following the General Affairs Council meeting," the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

"The Council looks forward to the opening of the Clusters with both candidates without delay, starting with the Cluster 'Fundamentals' and subsequently with other Clusters, in accordance with the methodology and the negotiating framework. The Council is working to prepare the next steps," the office said, citing an excerpt from the Presidency Conclusions.

According to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Member States noted: Ukraine's efforts to strengthen the rule of law, as well as to advance judicial and administrative reforms; the importance of transparent and merit-based selection and vetting processes in the judiciary; the importance of independent and effective anti-corruption institutions; our state's commitment to the promotion and protection of fundamental rights, and the further strengthening of the legislative and institutional framework in this area; Ukraine's sustained macroeconomic stability and progress in fiscal and administrative reforms.

"The Council remains committed to further progress Ukraine's gradual integration in the EU internal market, on the basis of enhanced implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area," the statement reads.

It was also noted that Ukraine's very high level of alignment with the acquis in the field of foreign and security policy is a strong signal of its strategic commitment to the European path.

It is noted that the document is based on the European Commission report within the framework of the Enlargement Package 2025 and takes into account the progress of each of the candidate countries.