Four countries seeking European Union membership took major steps forward on Tuesday as the bloc advanced one of its biggest enlargement moves in more than two decades. Intergovernmental conferences in Brussels opened or closed negotiating tracks for Albania, Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine, though joining the 27-nation bloc could still take years.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos called it a significant moment, saying, “We have not seen this in more than two decades. The last time, it was in 2002. This is a Super Tuesday for EU enlargement and Ukraine is part of it.”
The move reflects changing political and security conditions in Europe. The EU has encouraged reforms in candidate countries amid concerns over Russian and Chinese influence. Ukraine applied for membership in 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, while Moldova has also faced Russian pressure.
Ukraine views EU membership as a “security guarantee” for its future after the war. Kos said, “The case for Ukraine’s EU membership is very strong.” She added, “The future security architecture of our continent is unimaginable without Ukraine. Ukrainians have turned their country into a military powerhouse with capabilities few other nations can match, especially with its rapidly evolving drone technologies.”
Candidate countries must complete negotiations across 35 policy areas covering areas such as agriculture, taxation, energy and trade. On Tuesday, Ukraine and Moldova opened a second cluster focused on foreign relations, security and defence policies, trade policy, development cooperation and humanitarian aid.
Albania moved towards closing tracks on science and research, education and culture, and external relations. Montenegro, which aims to join in 2028, did the same with competition policy and customs rules.
The EU’s faster progress comes after Hungary’s former prime minister Viktor Orbn, who had blocked Ukraine’s accession process, left office in April after 16 years. Nine countries are officially candidates for EU membership, including Albania, Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Turkey.
