Brussels – For Moldova, June 2026 can represent the real turning point in its EU accession path. “Our main priority is to open all the accession clusters, starting with Cluster 1 on 16 June, and the others will follow by the end of the summer,” said Ambassador Daniela Morari, Head of Mission of Moldova to the EU, speaking with The New Union Post.
At the margins of the Committee of the Regions’ Enlargement Days on 2 June, Ambassador Morari made clear that “we are ready to open all the clusters, and we are waiting for this to happen.” However, Chișinău needs to await the lifting of the Hungarian veto on the start of Ukraine’s accession talks due to the so-called “package approach”, with bilateral consultations on minority rights currently ongoing. “From what we hear, it is going in a good direction and we hope this materialises during this week.”
Such a breakthrough for Ukraine would also allow Moldova to advance and to hold a new intergovernmental conference “at the margins of the next General Affairs Council” on 16 June. According to the Head of Mission of Moldova to the EU, what is most likely is that Cluster 1 – ‘Fundamentals’ (five chapters focusing on economic criteria, the functioning of democratic institutions, and public administration reform) will be unlocked immediately, while “it will be reconfirmed at the European Council” on 18–19 June that the other five are ready to be opened as well.
“We just need to see how all this will go in practice during this week,” Ambassador Morari warned, referring to “many details” which are changing and having an impact on the procedural steps. “I think in the coming days many things will be clearer at the level of detail.”
Moldova has been indirectly affected by the Hungarian veto for the last two years, despite the fact that Budapest has raised no objections to the opening of accession talks with Chișinău. Once accession talks formally begin, the paths of Ukraine and Moldova will naturally be “decoupled”, with each candidate proceeding at its own pace.
The state of EU-Moldova relations
Just a week after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Moldova submitted its application for EU membership, on 3 March. On 23 June 2022, the European Council endorsed the European Commission’s recommendation to grant Chișinău (and Kyiv) candidate status.
At the European Council meeting on 14 December 2023, EU leaders gave the green light to open accession negotiations. Following the Council’s approval of the negotiating frameworks, the first intergovernmental conferences with the two countries were held on 25 June 2024 in Luxembourg. As recognised in the 2025 Enlargement Package, Chișinău’s screening process has been successfully concluded.
With Hungary continuing to veto the start of Ukraine’s EU negotiations, Moldova’s accession has also been put on hold, as Chișinău’s EU process is tied to Kyiv’s through the so-called “package approach” (which has linked the two dossiers from the very beginning). The Commission considers it possible for Moldova to complete accession negotiations by 2027, opening the path for full EU membership by 2028.
On 17 March 2026, technical guidance was provided to both Ukraine and Moldova to continue work on EU reforms across all six negotiating clusters, until political conditions allow the formal process to begin – meaning Hungary lifting its veto.
Once Cluster 1 – ‘Fundamentals’ – the first group of five negotiating chapters (out of 33), focusing on economic criteria, the functioning of democratic institutions, and public administration reform – is opened, the other groups of negotiating chapters can follow. The unanimous approval of all 27 EU member states in the Council is now the only step remaining.
