Cypriot EU Presidency Launches Talks on Ukraine and Moldova Accession

The Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union has officially announced the start of practical preparations for opening the first negotiating cluster concerning Ukraine’s and Moldova’s accession to the European community. Official Nicosia described this step as a major historical milestone on the path to the European integration of the two candidate countries, sending a strong signal of unity and determination across the entire European bloc. In the coming days, Cypriot diplomats will continue intensive work within the Council to finally agree on all the technical and legal procedures needed for the official launch of the intergovernmental conference.

The first negotiating cluster, called Fundamentals, is considered key to the entire enlargement process, as it covers the basic requirements for state institutions, including judicial reform, ensuring the rule of law, adherence to democratic standards and the fight against corruption. According to diplomatic sources in Brussels, the official conference in Luxembourg is scheduled for mid-June this year. Progress on this process became possible after Hungary’s new leadership, during bilateral expert consultations on the rights of national minorities, agreed to lift its long-standing veto on Kyiv’s further integration.

The Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that, in its role as Council presidency, the republic strictly adheres to the principle of assessing the actual merits of candidate countries and views enlargement policy as one of the European Union’s main strategic priorities. A successful launch of negotiations before the end of the six-month Cypriot presidency mandate, which expires at the end of June, would be a major success for the island’s foreign policy ahead of the handover of powers to Ireland. The Ukrainian side has already confirmed its readiness to swiftly implement all necessary standards, expecting to open the remaining negotiating clusters during the summer months.