- Category
- World
Ukraine Secures EU-Wide Agreement on Two More Accession Clusters Following Minority Rights Reform
Prefer U24 Media on Google
- Authors
![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
All 27 European Union member states have agreed to open two additional accession negotiation clusters with Ukraine and Moldova, Irish Minister of State for European Affairs and Defense Thomas Byrne confirmed on October 12.
Byrne announced the agreement on X, outlining a series of EU enlargement decisions involving Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro, and Albania.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
“I can confirm that all EU member states have agreed to open clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine and Moldova,” Byrne wrote.
The agreement covers two major areas of EU accession negotiations: Cluster 2, which addresses the internal market, and Cluster 3, which focuses on competitiveness and inclusive growth.
Cluster 2 covers the rules governing the EU's single market, including the free movement of goods, workers, services, and capital. It also addresses company law, intellectual property, competition policy, financial services, and consumer protection.
Cluster 3 focuses on economic and social development. Its eight negotiating chapters cover digital transformation and media, taxation, economic and monetary policy, employment, industrial policy, science and research, education and culture, and customs policy.
The EU accession framework divides negotiations into six thematic clusters, each covering specific areas of legislation that candidate countries must align with European standards.
Opening a cluster allows negotiations to proceed across its policy areas, but it does not mean the country has completed the required reforms. Individual chapters can be provisionally closed once the EU determines that the relevant conditions have been met.
Byrne also confirmed that EU member states had agreed to close three negotiating chapters with Montenegro: economic and monetary policy, statistics, and social policy and employment.
Albania will close Chapter 20, covering enterprise and industrial policy.
The Irish minister described the forthcoming developments as another "Super Tuesday" for EU enlargement, following what he called "Montenegro Monday."
The agreement follows Ukraine's adoption of legislation expanding educational rights for national minorities and indigenous peoples on October 12.
The amendments address an issue that had contributed to Hungary's objections to the advancement of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations.
The law allows greater use of eligible minority languages in schools while preserving Ukrainian's status as the state language. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had earlier indicated that Kyiv expected the EU to formally open the two clusters on October 13.
Ukraine's accession negotiations began in June 2024, and the EU subsequently opened Cluster 1, covering fundamental reforms, in June 2026. Cluster 6, covering external relations and foreign, security, and defense policy, opened on July 14, 2026. Under the EU's accession methodology, the Fundamentals cluster opens first and closes last, with progress in that area determining the overall pace of negotiations.
Discuss this article:
-4a56a6b482ec132402c16ef6fcabf9a2.png)
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
