EU adopts separate accession approach for Ukraine and Moldova
According to the head of the European Commission, once accession negotiations begin, each candidate country becomes responsible for its own progress toward EU membership.
At the same time, countries are expected to implement different reforms depending on their individual circumstances and stage of preparation for accession.
"Once the first cluster has been opened, each candidate country is responsible for itself. This is because they have to implement reforms — and they have to implement different reforms, depending on the candidate country we are talking about," von der Leyen said.
Responding to a question about the further opening of negotiation clusters, the European Commission president noted that, during the press conference, she was primarily assessing Moldova's prospects, as the event was dedicated specifically to the Moldova-EU Summit.
However, she emphasized that the European Union will continue to follow a merit-based approach. Under this principle, progress is measured not by political statements or arbitrary timelines, but by the actual completion of the required reforms and commitments.
"I believe that a merit-based process is much better for Moldova than the phrase 'as soon as possible.' Because 'as soon as possible' does not really mean anything.
A merit-based process clearly points to the foundations of our methodology, which has been agreed upon by all 27 member states," Ursula von der Leyen said.
She added that a merit-based process is the cornerstone of EU accession negotiations. According to her, this approach enables candidate countries to achieve tangible results while allowing the European Union to honor its commitments.
"At the heart of accession negotiations is a merit-based process. This is much better for Moldova because then it can achieve results, and we can deliver on our promise," the President of the European Commission stated.
Ukraine's EU accession process
As previously reported, on September 30, 2025, Ukraine and the European Commission completed bilateral screening meetings assessing the compatibility of Ukrainian legislation with the EU acquis (EU law).
On March 17, 2026, the EU provided Ukraine with the final accession conditions covering three key negotiation clusters, completing the process of defining the remaining requirements.
On June 15, during an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg City, EU member states agreed to open the first of six negotiation clusters for Ukraine and Moldova. The cluster, titled "Fundamentals," focuses on justice, the rule of law, and fundamental rights. Its opening marked the formal start of substantive accession negotiations.
The remaining five clusters are:
Ukrainian officials have stated that Ukraine is ready to open the remaining clusters as early as this month.
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24 of June 2026
