EU signals decoupling of Moldova's accession from Ukraine's

The European Union has signaled a potential decoupling of Moldova's EU accession process from that of Ukraine, following the opening of the first cluster of negotiations for both candidate countries. This move comes after a two-year veto by Hungary was overcome, allowing the initial stage of talks to commence.

Historically, Moldova and Ukraine's accession bids have been informally linked since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine prompted their joint applications. However, the EU leadership, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, suggested that future progress would be merit-based and assessed individually. Von der Leyen emphasized that once the first cluster, "Fundamentals," is opened, each country is responsible for delivering its own reforms.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu expressed a desire to open the remaining five clusters without delay, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stated readiness to move forward, ideally together. Despite this, EU leaders removed specific wording about opening all clusters for Ukraine 'as soon as possible' from joint conclusions due to Hungarian objections, and a similar phrase was removed from the Moldova-related section for consistency.

Officials acknowledge that decoupling is likely inevitable, as it is seen as unfair to tie a country at peace like Moldova to one at war. However, there is also recognition that such a move could be sensitive for Ukraine, potentially sending a negative message to its population. Brussels aims to avoid a scenario where Moldova advances rapidly while Ukraine is held back for political reasons, as a single veto can halt the process.