Brussels – It is not all that glitters in the “Super Tuesday” of EU enlargement, even if negotiations are progressing and new chapters are being opened. A candidate country such as Moldova, despite having been technically ready for months and facing political pressure to speed up its accession path ahead of the next general elections, is being slowed down by the political calculations of some EU member states, which have given the green light only to the opening of one more cluster.
Just like Ukraine, at the third Accession Conference with Moldova on 14 July, Cluster 6 – ‘External Relations’ – comprising Chapter 30 (External Relations) and Chapter 31 (Foreign, Security and Defence Policy) – was opened, bringing the number of chapters opened for negotiation to seven (out of 33). However, the general atmosphere is more tense, as there is a sense that, realistically, more could have been done to ensure that all the clusters were already open before the summer break. Instead, the outcome was the bare minimum.
“Moldova’s European future is no longer defined by what we aspire to achieve, but is increasingly based on what we have already contributed to Europe,” said Moldova’s Acting Prime Minister, Eugen Osmochescu, making it clear that “we will proceed with determination, responsibility and confidence” towards an objective that has not changed: “To conclude the accession negotiations by 2028 and be fully prepared to join the EU by 2030.”
Although the so-called “package approach”, linking Ukraine and Moldova, is still in place, Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos called on the Council to “open the remaining accession clusters as the next step, because everything is technically ready.” She described Chișinău as “no longer the best student, but the best performer in my class” when it comes to EU accession.
She sought to reassure those disappointed by the limited progress, highlighting the significance of the opening of Cluster 6 – ‘External Relations’. “It is not easy to open, because it is all about our common values and interests and about speaking with one European voice.” While the other clusters “only prepare for EU membership”, the group of chapters on external relations “is about what it actually means to be an EU member.”
As Commissioner Kos confirmed, the common security and defence policy “is the area in which Moldova is making a strong contribution” to Europe as a whole, being “one of the most experienced countries” in countering hybrid threats. As she put it, “Russia has tried many times to influence the elections in Moldova, but each time it has failed.”
Moldova’s Acting Prime Minister Osmochescu made it clear that “we are preparing to take our share of responsibility in strengthening the security of the European Union.” Meanwhile, the national institutions are advancing work on the legislative framework needed to “fulfil the closing benchmarks for both chapters,” reflecting the way Chișinău approaches “the whole accession process.”
Speaking on behalf of the rotating Presidency of the Council, Irish Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne pledged that “we will advance Moldova’s accession process in line with the current methodology” during the six months of the Irish Presidency. Opening Cluster 6 “is really significant progress,” he stressed, recalling that “even two months ago we were not sure it would be possible.”
The opening of Cluster 1 – ‘Fundamentals’ on 15 June was expected to mark a turning point in the decoupling of the “package approach” that has tied the two accession dossiers together since the membership applications were submitted in 2022, allowing each candidate to be assessed strictly on its own merits.
However, “in practice, that is not the case,” a diplomatic source told The New Union Post, confirming that, at the political level, “there is a link – until there is no longer one.”
Decoupling will happen “when, de facto, it becomes clear that it has happened – when one moves faster and the other more slowly,” another EU source explained. As The New Union Post understands, after the summer break the Irish Presidency of the Council will seek to open one cluster at each General Affairs Council meeting from September to December, with the aim of opening all negotiations with both candidates before the end of the year.
Hungary no longer blocks Ukraine across the board – as it did under Viktor Orbán – following the “comprehensive agreement” with Kyiv on expanding the rights of the Hungarian minority in the Transcarpathia region. Yet, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar warned that the EU “cannot bypass” the Western Balkans “with a different kind of enlargement process” for Ukraine and Moldova.
The state of EU–Moldova relations
Just a week after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, on 3 March 2022, Moldova submitted its application for EU membership. On 23 June 2022, the European Council endorsed the European Commission’s recommendation to grant Chișinău 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 conference was held on 25 June 2024.
With Viktor Orbán‘s Hungary vetoing the start of Ukraine’s EU negotiations, Moldova’s accession was also put on hold, as Chișinău’s EU process was tied to Kyiv’s through the so-called “package approach” (which linked the two dossiers from the very beginning).
On 17 March 2026, technical guidance was provided by the Commission to continue work on EU reforms across all six negotiating clusters, before the change of power in Budapest indirectly brought a new momentum for Moldova as well, paving the way for the opening of Cluster 1 – ‘Fundamentals’. To date, seven negotiating chapters have been opened.
