The key facts

  • The European Commission and Ukraine launched a joint working group on EU accession; it will meet twice a week
  • Hungary lifted its veto after the adoption of a law on education for the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia
  • The remaining two negotiating clusters are expected by the end of the year; the enlargement package is due in early November

Joint working group of the European Commission and Ukraine

The European Commission announced on Friday the creation of a joint working group with Ukraine to accelerate the country's preparations for EU accession. The decision followed Hungary's lifting of its veto on the opening of new negotiating clusters. The group will include representatives of the EU and Ukraine, and its task is to help Kyiv meet the preconditions for membership. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos wrote on X that after the opening of two more clusters this week she discussed further steps with Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky, and they agreed to launch the group. According to her, Ukraine is one of the countries that has made the greatest progress on the path to membership.

Focus on interim benchmarks

The working group will focus on the so-called interim benchmarks — mid-process milestones that a candidate must meet before the closing of negotiating chapters begins. It will work through a list of outstanding requirements on accession fundamentals: the rule of law and anti-corruption reforms. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternova told Euronews that the group will in fact meet twice a week over the coming months to speed up the work. A European Commission spokesperson noted that the group was created on the model applied to Montenegro and Moldova and gives the process new momentum.

Hungary's veto lifted and next steps

Hungary's veto was lifted after Kyiv agreed to a law on education for the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia. The Verkhovna Rada adopted it by an overwhelming majority of votes, and President Volodymyr Zelensky promptly signed the document. The outlet notes that the vote gives hope for the preservation of the broad consensus of the Ukrainian political elite needed for reforms. Earlier this week, member states agreed to open two more clusters; the remaining two are expected by the end of the year. Kyiv is also due to receive a roadmap of key steps and an indicative timeline for completing accession under the enlargement package expected in early November. Kos stated that success will require the unity and consistency of all of Ukraine's partners.