On June 15, a new stage of Ukraine's integration into the EU began. All 27 EU Member States unanimously supported the opening of negotiation on Cluster 1 "Fundamentals of EU Accession," for Ukraine.
The decision was adopted during the Second Ukraine-EU Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, welcomed this decision.
He noted that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted dozens of European integration laws laws required to fulfill the recommendations of the European Commission, adapt Ukraine legislation to EU law, strengthen democratic institutions, judicial reform, the anti-corruption infrastructure, internal market development, digitalisation, the energy sector, public management and the protection of human rights.
"When russia wanted to break our country, we made a strategic choice — to move toward the European Union. Today, this choice is taking on concrete substance. This is the result of the immense work of the state, President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian society, and, above all, our Defenders, thanks to whom Ukraine continues to move further even during a full scale war," emphasised Ruslan Stefanchuk.
Oleksandr Korniienko, the First Deputy Speaker and a member of the National Negotiation Group on Ukraine's Accession into the EU also welcomed the decision by the EU Member States.
"Our country demonstrated its unwavering commitment to the chosen European integrational path, in particular, the Verkhovna Rada continues to prioritize the fulfillment of all necessary obligations and tasks required to secure full membership in the EU," noted Oleksandr Korniienko.
Cluster 1, “Fundamentals of the EU Accession Process,” is pivotal: it is the first to be opened and the last to be closed. Ukraine now has the full list of conditions for accession.
The opening of this Cluster confirms that Ukraine has fulfilled the necessary preconditions to move forward in the negotiation process. Notably, Ukraine completed the screening procedure faster than any other candidate country in the entire history of European Union enlargement.
According to Oleksandr Korniienko, the official opening of negotiations on Cluster 1 carries critical political and procedural weight.
“The unanimous decision by the 27 EU Member States recognizes Ukraine’s achievements and its unwavering course toward European integration. It proves that Ukraine has fulfilled the preconditions for further progress. It also underscores the reciprocity of commitments, demonstrating that the accession process is a reality; in exchange for Ukrainian reforms, the EU is consistently moving the country to the next stages of negotiations,” emphasized the First Deputy Speaker.
Once all clusters have been successfully closed, the Accession Treaty will be signed. As soon as it is ratified by all EU Member States and the candidate country itself, Ukraine will officially acquire full membership in the European Union.