On December 2, 2024, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Olha Stefanishyna, announced that the first negotiation cluster on Ukraine's accession to the European Union is likely to open in April-May 2025. This information was shared in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine following her visit to Kyiv.
Stefanishyna emphasized the significant progress Ukraine has made in implementing reforms during wartime, describing it as unprecedented. She noted that her role is to support the Ukrainian government in initiating and completing the negotiation process, which involves extensive technical work on both sides.
The new methodology dictates that the fundamental cluster will be opened first and closed last. Stefanishyna expressed her commitment to prioritizing key issues within this negotiation process to facilitate the opening of the first cluster as swiftly as possible.
The accession talks for new EU member states are divided into 35 chapters, with 33 grouped into six thematic clusters that are opened sequentially. Chapters 34 and 35 will be addressed separately. The European Commission will first conduct an official screening of Ukraine's legislation in relation to EU standards for each chapter.
Both the President and Prime Minister of Ukraine have set a goal to complete the EU accession process within approximately five years, aiming for 2030.