Commission says Moldova has met conditions to open two remaining EU clusters

The European Commission said on 4 November that Moldova has met the conditions required to open all remaining clusters in its EU accession talks. Moldova has opened four of the six clusters, which group 33 negotiation chapters. The two still closed cover green policy and connectivity, and resources, agriculture and cohesion, the Kyiv Post reported.

Hungary is blocking those same two clusters for both Moldova and Ukraine. It blocked the fourth and fifth clusters on 20 October and again on 27 October, Gwaramedia reported, citing Ukrainian and European diplomats. Those clusters cover agriculture, energy, transport and the green agenda. Hungary has given no public explanation.

Opening a cluster only starts talks on a group of policy chapters. Closing them requires unanimity from all 27 member states. Opening all six would still not mean either country can join, because each cluster contains benchmarks that must be negotiated and implemented.

What the Commission found

In its 2026 enlargement package, adopted on 4 November, the Commission said Moldova had intensified alignment of its legislation with the EU acquis across all chapters and made further progress on rule of law reforms. It found very substantial progress towards the interim benchmarks under the fundamentals cluster.

The country report says the institutions in charge of EU integration are mostly in place. It says the existing framework provides an adequate foundation for democratic elections in line with international standards, and that civil society, including human rights defenders, operates in an overall enabling environment. One caveat: Moldova is only moderately prepared on public administration reform.

The Commission said Moldova's objective of closing accession negotiations by early 2028 is ambitious but achievable, provided the country maintains its current pace of reforms.

Hungary's position

Hungary had earlier blocked the second and third clusters multiple times, the Kyiv Post reported. Those clusters cover the internal market, competitiveness and inclusive growth. Moldova and Ukraine opened them on 13 October, Gwaramedia reported, after Ukraine's parliament passed a law expanding education rights for national minorities.

On 5 October, the Kyiv Post reported, citing the Financial Times, that Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar had instructed the country's diplomats not to block letters inviting Kyiv and Chisinau to submit negotiating positions, a move the paper called procedural rather than unconditional approval.

What happens next

The Council now has to consider the Commission's recommendations and decide the next steps. The EU Enlargement Forum meets in Brussels on 15-16 November. The package also proposes an indicative roadmap for Moldova, one of four countries the Commission says have made the most progress in accession negotiations.

The Commission says enlargement remains merit-based, and that the pace depends on reforms in democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights.