Ahead of a visit by the leaders of France, Germany and Poland to the Moldovan capital of Chișinău, several European diplomats have said that the idea of opening the first cluster of membership negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova separately is in doubt.

Ahead of a visit by the leaders of France, Germany and Poland to the Moldovan capital of Chișinău, several European diplomats have said that the idea of opening the first cluster of membership negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova separately is in doubt.

Source: Politico, a Brussels-based politics and policy news organisation, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk are set to visit Chișinău on Wednesday 27 August.

Ahead of Moldova’s parliamentary elections, EU leaders are visiting to signal to voters that the nation’s future lies in the European Union.

“Their presence sends a powerful message – Moldova is not alone. Its European path is real, irreversible, and backed by all major political families in the EU,” said Siegfried Mureșan, a Romanian MEP and head of the European Parliament’s delegation to the country.

However, the exact timing of when Moldova will join the EU and open a negotiating cluster remains contentious. Earlier in the summer, EU officials and diplomats told Politico that the EU was considering speeding up Moldova’s accession by opening a negotiating cluster before the elections to boost the pro-European camp.

“It’s understandable that some people want to offer Moldova a negotiating cluster, but to do this because there is an election coming would be short-sighted and, ultimately, counter-productive. Other countries are watching,” one diplomat said.

A French official said that, in the context of what Ukraine is going through, “there are merits for both the candidacies of Ukraine and Moldova”.

“The decisions in Brussels have to be taken unanimously and we need to operate within these … principles,” he stressed.

The official added that decisions will be taken “in the coming days or weeks”. Two diplomats also said they hope that in the coming months, it would be possible to break the deadlock on Ukraine’s accession, given the pressure on Budapest.

Background:

It should be noted that this position has been adjusted under pressure from Ukrainian diplomats and many of the country’s allies, who are strongly opposed to such a move.Only the day before, on 26 August, Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said that the Benelux countries believe Moldova and Ukraine have a common future in the EU.On 26 August, Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement, held a video meeting with Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, to discuss Ukraine’s accession to the EU and the necessary reforms.Media reports suggest that the EU is once again weighing the option of opening the first membership negotiating cluster with Moldova, while holding off on taking the same step for Ukraine.Kachka earlier stated that the idea of separating Ukraine and Moldova in the EU accession process would undermine the power of European integration needed by Ukraine, Moldova and the EU itself.

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