If Hungary continues to block the beginning of accession negotiations with Ukraine, Moldova – which has started the process of membership simultaneously with Kiev and is ready to open the alleged Cluster 1 "Basics" ("Basic Principles") – can do so earlier. This information was submitted by the European Commission on 23 April The fact of 2 EU diplomats in Brussels and 1 EU authoritative acquainted with the discussions.
According to these sources, the European Union is putting force on Hungary to end blocking Ukraine's advancement towards membership. However, if the impasse persists for the following months, it is possible that the first cluster in negotiations with Moldova will be opened independently of Ukraine, most likely in the fall of 2025.
"The EU is doing everything to convince Hungary to halt the blockade of Ukraine's accession talks. Permanent negotiations are ongoing and force is exerted. But if the deadlock continues, an intergovernmental conference with Moldova is planned for the fall of 2025 to open Cluster 1 – said 1 of the diplomats.
Another diplomat explained that the Moldova-EU conference could take place in September 2025.
The EU authoritative explained that the authoritative date of the gathering had not yet been set. The decision to conven it belongs to the country holding the EU Council Presidency – by 1 July 2025 it is Poland, then Denmark. He besides stressed that Moldova's accession process is not formally linked to Ukraine's membership procedure and that this script is so possible.
Let us add that, according to Brussels, Moldova has already made crucial progress: it has completed screening for 3 of the six clusters, and another 1 is to be closed within a month.
Source: European Truth
BIS improvement – survey Bulletin
