EU opens accession chapters for Ukraine and three other candidates
The European Union advanced accession negotiations with Ukraine, Moldova, Albania and Montenegro, a landmark shift unblocked by Hungary's recent election that redraws the continent's economic and security perimeter.
Intergovernmental conferences in Brussels on Tuesday opened and closed multiple negotiating tracks for four candidate countries, marking the largest simultaneous step forward in EU enlargement since 2002.
Ukraine and Moldova opened a cluster of chapters focused on foreign relations, security, defense and trade policy. This follows their opening of foundational chapters on rule of law and democratic institutions last month.
In the Western Balkans, Albania provisionally closed negotiating tracks covering science, education and external relations. Montenegro, which aims to join the bloc by 2028, closed chapters on competition policy and customs rules.
This sudden progress is directly tied to the April ejection of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán by voters after 16 years in power. Because EU accession requires unanimous agreement from all 27 member states to open and close each of the 35 negotiating chapters, Orbán had single-handedly stymied the linked candidacies of Ukraine and Moldova.
Russia's invasion has forced a sharp reversal of the bloc's recent enlargement scepticism. In 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron blocked expansion until EU internal reforms were completed. Today, shifting geopolitics and the fear of growing Russian and Chinese influence have made expansion an urgent priority.
For European governments and markets, integrating Ukraine represents a massive long-term economic project and a necessary security buffer. Ukraine views membership as a "security guarantee" for a stable post-war future, particularly as NATO accession remains blocked by the Trump administration.
“The future security architecture of our continent is unimaginable without Ukraine,” Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told reporters. “Ukrainians have turned their country into a military powerhouse with capabilities few other nations can match, especially with its rapidly evolving drone technologies.”
Kos labelled the day a "Super Tuesday for EU enlargement and Ukraine is part of it," comparing it to the last major expansion wave in 2002 that preceded the entry of 10 central European countries.
Full integration remains distant. The 35 policy areas cover complex economic terrain from agriculture to taxation. While four candidates advanced, the paths for Turkey and Georgia remain frozen over concerns about democratic standards. Kosovo has also applied but lacks candidate status.
