On Monday, the European Union officially opened the first stage of Ukraine's accession negotiations, ending a two-year delay caused by a Hungarian veto, UNN reports, citing dpa.
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The negotiations in Luxembourg, confirmed by a representative of the EU Council, mark a significant milestone on the war-torn country's path toward membership.
In the initial phase of negotiations, known as the first cluster, countries must demonstrate, among other things, that their judicial systems and public administrations meet EU standards.
The accession negotiation process is divided into six thematic clusters comprising 33 chapters. Two additional chapters are discussed outside of the clusters.
The EU officially launched accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova in June 2024. However, the opening of the first negotiation cluster with Ukraine was blocked by Hungary under then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Hungary's new Prime Minister Péter Magyar recently announced that an agreement had been reached with Ukraine on measures to strengthen the rights of the ethnic Hungarian minority in the country. Magyar had set such an agreement as a condition for lifting Budapest's veto on Ukraine's EU accession talks.