Ukraine and Moldova Meet Criteria to Begin EU Accession Talks – European Parliament President

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola stated that Ukraine and Moldova have met all the necessary conditions to begin negotiations for accession to the European Union.

This is reported by Radio Liberty.

“Now the ball is in our court,” Metsola emphasized, addressing EU leaders.

According to her, both Ukraine and Moldova have completed the preparation phase for the so-called “first cluster” of negotiations—a set of fundamental issues covering the rule of law, justice, democratic institutions, and media freedom.

“Ukraine and Moldova have met the conditions to begin the initial round of negotiations. It is time to act—we cannot afford to lose momentum,“ Metsola stated.

It is important to highlight that this marks a signal from the European Union’s legislative body that support for Ukraine and Moldova’s membership is shifting from declarative statements to concrete political action. The decision on when to officially open the negotiation clusters now rests with the European Council.

Specifically, the first negotiation cluster for Moldova is expected to commence on July 4, as previously announced by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. Ukraine’s situation is somewhat more complex due to the ongoing war, but Brussels agrees that political delays are unacceptable.

In her speech, Metsola also stressed that the European Parliament is fulfilling its responsibilities by reforming defense processes and responding swiftly to the needs of Eastern Europe.

As a reminder, the June 26–27 summit is the final major political meeting during Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, which ends on June 30. The summit’s focus is on enlargement, security, and Europe’s strategic autonomy.

By the way, in Poland the number of those who oppose Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and NATO has increased – there are now more of them than supporters.

Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán once again opposed Ukraine’s European integration, citing the ongoing war as the main reason. The government also released the results of a consultative vote, claiming that 95% of participants opposed Ukraine’s accession to the EU. In Kyiv, these actions were perceived as political manipulation designed to create an image of an external enemy and to divert public attention away from domestic issues in Hungary.

As a reminder, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that all 32 participating countries confirmed that Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance is irreversible, although they did not determine the final timeframe for this process.

As reported, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel spoke out against Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

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