European Union Opens First Phase of Membership Talks for Ukraine and Moldova – Negotiations Usually Take Many Years To Conclude

Ukraine said to be ‘nearing’ EU membership – but is it, really?

News arises from Brussels that ‘official’ EU ascension talks have begun with the countries of Ukraine and Moldova.

But the process is usually a very long one.

Let’s take a look at the last countries admitted to the EU: Croatia took 5 years and 9 months in talks; Romania, Bulgaria and Slovenia took 4 years and 10 months; Slovakia was a little faster: 2 years and 10 months.

Among the countries that have not been able to conclude the talks yet, the situation is even worse: Montenegro has been negotiating for 14 years; Serbia for 12 years; Albania and North Macedonia for 4 years.

Let’s not even talk about Turkey, who has been negotiating for 21 years!

It is indeed true that due to the war against Russia, Kiev is more ‘plugged’ into the EU establishment than most countries – but on the other side, it has horrible problems to overcome, like rampant corruption and – of course – the war.

Today, the European Union took a major step forward.

All Member States agreed to open the first accession negotiations cluster with Ukraine and Moldova.

At the first Intergovernmental Conference on Monday, we will open the cluster on fundamentals; the backbone of the accession… pic.twitter.com/WSPU8CVPpg

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 12, 2026

Reuters reported:

“Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 ‌countries agreed on Friday to advance membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova, with the first phase of negotiations set to begin on Monday.

Even as Ukraine continues to fight Russia’s invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has made EU membership a key strategic goal to anchor ​his country in Europe’s political mainstream.

Zelenskiy, writing on Telegram, thanked the EU and its leaders for this strong ​step for Europe. He also congratulated neighboring Moldova. ‘Ukraine is carrying out what is necessary ⁠and it is important that the EU is also keeping its word’, he wrote.”

The European Union has agreed to advance membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova.

EU leaders agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova in December 2023, ⁠but negotiations could not start ​in earnest ⁠due to opposition from the previous Hungarian government.…

— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) June 12, 2026

Euronews reported:

“The breakthrough was achieved on Friday evening by ambassadors in Brussels, who endorsed a common position to go ahead with the next phase of negotiations.

The position comes with a rule-of-law roadmap and an action plan on minority rights, the main bone of contention between Budapest and Kyiv. The action plan was amended to reflect the outcome of the consultations between the two sides.

The formal step will take place on Monday 15 June in Luxembourg, where the EU will hold separate intergovernmental conferences with the two candidates.

‘This is a recognition of the determination, courage and hard work shown by both countries in advancing reforms, even in the face of immense challenges’, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa said in a joint statement. ‘Enlargement is a strategic choice. By bringing our nations closer together, we strengthen peace, security and prosperity across our continent’.”

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