Ukraine Expects Remaining Clusters To Open December 15 For EU Accession — Chentsov

Ukraine aims to conclude the remaining two negotiation clusters for EU accession by December 15, according to Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Vsevolod Chentsov. This comes amid elections scheduled for 2027 in several EU member states. Chentsov expressed optimism about wrapping up the process this year, as he believes attempting it after the upcoming elections would prove to be a challenging endeavor politically.

Chentsov also highlighted concerns regarding the potential "decoupling" of Ukraine's and Moldova's accession processes, as suggested by the European Commission's proposed "roadmaps." Under this idea, Moldova's technical accession negotiations are set to conclude in 2028, while Ukraine's are to be finalized in 2029. However, Chentsov pointed out that Ukraine's domestic reforms have not been fully recognized in the European Commission's roadmap, which could be a significant hurdle for Kyiv's progress.

The European Commission has yet to formally present its "roadmaps" to EU member state capitals, scheduled for delivery by the end of the year. Chentsov emphasized that the timeline set by the European Commission cannot be confirmed, as it will depend on the pace at which candidate countries, such as Ukraine and Moldova, implement the necessary reforms for accession.