Ukraine has moved closer to a new stage in its EU accession process
Ambassadors from European Union member states have endorsed the opening of the sixth negotiation cluster on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. This was announced by Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration.
According to him, the final decision is to be approved during a meeting of the EU Intergovernmental Conference scheduled for July 14. The opening of the new cluster will mark another step in Ukraine’s negotiations regarding its future membership in the European Union.
Kachka stated that the preparatory body of the Council of the European Union has approved the decision to open the sixth cluster of negotiations on Ukraine’s membership.
“Cluster 6 is particularly important in today’s global security environment. It covers the common security and defense policy, trade, humanitarian aid, and development cooperation, as well as Ukraine’s alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy. We are now eagerly awaiting the official decision on July 14,” Taras Kachka said.
Thomas Byrne, Minister for European Affairs of Ireland—which holds the EU presidency through the end of 2026—noted that his country is working on the bloc’s expansion.
“On Tuesday, I am very hopeful to see positive progress in the accession process for Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, and Montenegro,” he said.
The Irish EU Presidency announced that EU ambassadors had approved the opening of the sixth cluster of accession negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova; the closure of chapters 8 and 29 for Montenegro; and the closure of chapters 25, 26, and 30 for Albania.
These decisions by the ambassadors will be adopted by the EU Intergovernmental Conference on July 14.
EU ambassadors have just endorsed the opening of the sixth cluster of accession negotiations for Ukraine at a meeting in Brussels. The Intergovernmental Conference, which will officially launch the process, will take place on Tuesday. This was reported by a Suspilne correspondent. Thus, Ukraine has opened 2 out of 6 clusters. Hungary continues to block the rest, the Suspilne correspondent reported. Work on them will continue in the fall, after the EU’s summer vacation season.
The sixth cluster of negotiations with the EU concerns the European Union’s foreign and security policy. It covers the EU’s common trade policy, bilateral agreements with third countries, development policy, and humanitarian aid, and provides for the alignment of Ukraine’s positions with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, including regarding arms exports and sanctions policy.
In 2025, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that Ukraine’s alignment with the EU’s foreign policy statements and decisions stood at 95% as of the end of 2024 and 100% based on the results of the first months of 2025.
According to the European Commission’s 2025 report, Ukraine still needs to implement a number of recommendations, in particular, to make progress on screening foreign investments and to continue harmonizing its legislation in accordance with the provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Taras Kachka reported this on social media platform X.
Zelenskyy and Koshta discussed new steps toward Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Ukraine has begun implementing large-scale projects designed to make water supply systems more resilient to war, shelling, and power outages. In 14 regions, water mains are being modernized, new equipment is being installed, and backup water sources are being created.
