Moldova Pulls Ahead of Ukraine in EU Membership Talks

European Commission roadmaps unveiled on Wednesday, Nov. 4, revealed that Moldova is poised to advance more rapidly than Ukraine in EU membership talks. Moldova's roadmap projects closing nine negotiating chapters by mid-2027 and another 16 by the end of the year. Conversely, Ukraine's roadmap forecasts closing seven chapters during the same period.

This disparity partly stems from each nation's progress toward interim rule-of-law requirements. The Commission posits that Moldova has demonstrated substantial readiness to meet these benchmarks. It further outlined its expectations for Brussels to present an assessment and draft common position to the Council, paving the way for member states to deliberate the subsequent steps.

In contrast, Ukraine remains challenged in accelerating its reforms, particularly in areas such as rule-of-law implementation, democratic institutions, public administration, and national-minorities action plans. The Commission urged Ukraine to expedite progress in these domains while acknowledging the effectiveness of Ukraine's anti-corruption framework, with specialized institutions generally functioning independently despite Russia's ongoing conflict.

The Commission's timetable anticipates closing the education and culture chapter in the first half of 2027, followed by the remaining six chapters in the latter half. If Ukraine fulfills the requisite reforms, it could potentially close these chapters earlier. Both Moldova and Ukraine have opened four of the six fundamental policy clusters outlining accession negotiations.

Their latest advancement occurred on Oct. 13 when both countries commenced talks on the internal market and competitiveness, along with inclusive growth, encompassing 17 chapters. The EU subsequently established benchmarks for the provisional closure of these clusters. For Ukraine, this breakthrough followed amendments to education laws expanding rights for national minorities whose languages are official EU languages.

Hungary subsequently lifted its objections to these two clusters following Hungary and Moldova's agreement on Oct. 16 to rebuild political and economic relations. However, Hungary impeded further progress on Oct. 20 by declining to approve screening results for Ukraine's remaining clusters, which include the green agenda, sustainable connectivity, resources, agriculture, and cohesion.

These clusters encompass energy, transport, environmental protection, farming, and regional policy. The Commission advocates for the finalization of these clusters before the conclusion of 2026. Moldova and Ukraine are among the four most advanced negotiating countries, alongside Montenegro and Albania. The Commission encourages Ukraine's aspiration to complete accession negotiations by the end of 2028, cautioning that reforms must accelerate for this objective to be achievable.