The member states of the European Union are now all in agreement. The EU-27 is due to validate the framework for negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the European Union (EU) at a meeting of the Council of Economics Ministers on Friday, June 21. According to the Belgian EU Presidency, the accession conferences with these two countries – which will officially launch the process – will be held on Tuesday, June 25.

With war still raging in Ukraine and Western military aid still arriving in dribs and drabs, this commitment is very important for its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been calling for a clear sign from the EU-27 since January. In December 2023, heads of state and government agreed to open these negotiations following the well-timed exit from the boardroom of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, long opposed to the decision. Kyiv still had to meet a series of conditions concerning the fight against corruption and protection of minorities which have since been met, according to the Commission.

The process comes just a few days before Hungary takes over the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1. On Tuesday, June 18, Hungarian Minister for European Affairs Janos Boka indicated that it would not be feasible to open negotiation chapters with Ukraine over the next six months. "Hungary has been constructive on this issue because it's hoping not to have to deal with it," said Engjellushe Morina, a specialist on the subject at the European Council on Foreign Relations research center. "It wants to focus on enlarging the EU across the western Balkan states."

The absence of Hungarian support should not pose any immediate problems. After June 25, the European Commission will have to assess the alignment of all Ukrainian legislation with that of the Union – the acquis communautaire – ranging from questions of the rule of law to the body of legislation on the single market, agriculture, energy, etc. Thirty-five chapters, covering all these sectors, will be the subject of discussions. To join the EU, Kyiv will have to comply with all of them.

This first stage can take up to a year as was the case for Albania. "It is only after this phase that the Council will be called upon to take the first decisions to open negotiations on subsets of negotiation chapters," said a European diplomat, placing this well after the Hungarian presidency. After that, the EU-27 will have to unanimously approve each step towards accession – 70 votes, at the very least, all taken unanimously, with member states having the same number of opportunities to veto a decision.

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