Ukraine and Moldova’s EU membership to be negotiated in just over a week

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Moldovan President Maia Sandu want to bring their countries into the European Union. The presidents are pictured in Moldova in June 2023. ZumaWire/MVPHOTOS

Formal negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova to join the European Union are about to begin.

Belgium, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Council, said in a statement that ambassadors from the 27 EU member states reached an agreement on the matter on Friday.

Negotiations are scheduled to begin on June 25.

EU ministers are expected to formally confirm the decision at a meeting on June 21. In the Netherlands, parliament must also approve it, AFP reported.

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Is Hungary great?

According to Reuters, Belgium’s announcement means Hungary has given up resistance.

Among EU countries, Hungary has the closest relations with Russia and has always opposed Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

It is not entirely clear that Hungary has changed direction. kyiv independent EU and Ukrainian authorities are reportedly pushing for negotiations to start by July.

In July, Hungary plans to take over the leadership of the European Council.

Hungary expressed “doubts” about whether Ukraine is ready to join the European Union, Reuters reported.

If Hungary wanted, it could anyway block the start of accession talks, which usually last several years, as these require approval from every EU country.

After the outbreak of Russia’s large-scale war of aggression, Ukraine and Moldova applied to join the EU in the spring and winter of 2022. In June of the same year, EU countries Decidethese countries were accepted as candidate members.