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EU cluster opens June 15
The European Union will resume accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova next week after Hungary lifted the veto that had blocked the first stage, with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying, "All member states agreed to open the first accession negotiations cluster with Ukraine and Moldova."
“The European Union has announced that the accession process for Ukraine and Moldova will launch next week”
Several outlets tie the restart to Hungary’s new government dropping the obstacle previously imposed by Viktor Orban, including Euronews, which said the 27 EU countries agreed to open the first cluster known as "Fundamentals".
Euronews reported that the formal step will take place on Monday 15 June in Luxembourg, where the EU will hold separate intergovernmental conferences with the two candidates.
The same Euronews account said the rule-of-law roadmap and an action plan on minority rights were central to the dispute between Budapest and Kyiv, and that the action plan was amended to reflect consultations between the two sides.
In parallel, Al Jazeera said ambassadors from the 27 EU nations agreed at a meeting in Brussels to recommence negotiations in Luxembourg on Monday, framing the move as the start of the accession process for both countries.
Reactions and minority rights
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the decision, writing that it provided "significant political and moral support" for his people, and he added, "Ukraine is doing what is necessary, and it is important that the EU is also keeping its word."
Euronews also reported that Hungary’s new government cautioned against a fast-track procedure, with the process described as merit-based and intended to preserve the integrity and credibility of negotiations.
In the Ukrainian National News account, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, "There is no better guarantee for the rights of the Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia than Ukraine's accession to the European Union," linking the EU track to minority-rights commitments.
Ukrainian National News further quoted Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán saying that, "Yesterday evening, all EU member states, including Hungary, agreed to open the first cluster of accession negotiations with both Ukraine and Moldova."
AzerNews similarly described the breakthrough as clearing the way for concrete integration talks after Hungary’s veto was dropped, and it said the inaugural Intergovernmental Conference will take place on June 15, 2026.
What comes next
Euronews said the road to accession consists of six thematic clusters and 33 chapters, with the first cluster covering the rule of law, human rights and the judiciary.
“EU to start Ukraine and Moldova membership talks next week as Hungary lifts veto The European Union will formally launch the first substantive phase of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova next week, after member states successfully bypassed a prolonged diplomatic impasse with Budapest, AzerNEWS reports”
The same Euronews report stated that unlocking the first cluster does not mean Ukraine’s accession will be fast-tracked to compensate for the two years under Hungary’s veto, and it said member states want to avoid experimental ideas like the "associate membership" proposed by the German Chancellor.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar told outlets that Hungary does not support a fast-track procedure and said Budapest would hold a referendum on Ukraine’s membership if it "succeed in closing all 33 accession chapters within the next 10 to 15 years," according to multiple accounts including Taipei Times.
AzerNews described the first substantive phase as the "Fundamentals" cluster and said it forms the bedrock of the entire accession process, while also saying the process is conditional and protracted with no guaranteed outcome.
France 24, citing AFP, reported that the restart comes as a fresh show of support for Kyiv amid Russia’s ongoing war, and it reiterated that the first phase will open after Hungary’s new government agreed to drop Orban’s veto.
