On 24 February, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos announced that the European Commission aims to open three clusters of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations by the end of Poland’s EU Council presidency in June.
During Poland’s presidency of the European Union, Cluster 1 (Fundamentals) will definitely be opened in the negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. However, there is no consensus among EU member states regarding Cluster 6 (External Relations), which could lead to challenging discussions.
Adam Szłapka, Poland’s Minister for European Union Affairs, made this statement ahead of the EU General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. He emphasized that while Cluster 1 will be opened under Poland’s presidency, Cluster 6 could provoke significant debate among member states.
“As the Polish presidency, we are determined to support Ukraine and to advance the enlargement process. Therefore, during our presidency, we will open the first Cluster,” Szłapka said.
He acknowledged that opening subsequent clusters, including Cluster 6, would be more difficult. “We are prepared to open the sixth Cluster as well, but it will require tough and difficult discussions due to the lack of unanimity among member states. Nevertheless, we are committed to moving forward in this process,” he added.
Szłapka refrained from predicting a specific timeline for Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
On 24 February, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos announced that the European Commission aims to open three clusters of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations by the end of Poland’s EU Council presidency in June.
