All EU states agree to open two more negotiating clusters for Ukraine's accession
All EU member states agreed to open the second and third negotiating clusters for Ukraine's EU accession process, in a decision announced by Irish Minister for European Affairs and Defence Thomas Byrne on a day he called a "Super Tuesday." The same decision covers clusters 2 and 3 for Moldova, while EU states also agreed to close three chapters for Montenegro and one for Albania. The move comes as Ukraine advances past the two clusters already opened — "Fundamentals" and "External Relations" — and a formal intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg is scheduled for 13 October.
Key points
- All 27 EU member states agreed to open clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine's and Moldova's accession processes.
- Irish Minister for European Affairs and Defence Thomas Byrne announced the agreement via X, calling the day a "Super Tuesday" for Albania, Moldova and Ukraine.
- Cluster 2 covers the internal market (free movement of goods, workers, services and capital); cluster 3 covers competitiveness and inclusive growth (digital transformation, economic policy, health/education, science and research).
- EU states also agreed to close negotiating chapters 17, 18 and 19 for Montenegro and chapter 20 for Albania.
- European Council President António Costa welcomed the move, saying EU enlargement remains a key geopolitical priority.
- Two clusters — "Fundamentals" and "External Relations" — had already been opened for Ukraine before this decision.
- On 12 October, the Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 16119 on educational rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities, which President Zelensky signed, linked to Hungary's prior conditions for unblocking talks.
Why it matters
The unanimous agreement moves Ukraine's accession path forward by two clusters in a single step, beyond the two already opened ("Fundamentals" and "External Relations"). It was reached in spite of past Hungarian objections and pairs Ukraine's progress with parallel openings for Moldova and chapter closures for Montenegro and Albania, framing the day as a broader EU enlargement push. European Council President António Costa publicly cast enlargement as a key geopolitical priority, signalling the political weight attached to the move. The decision also clears the way for the formal intergovernmental conference with Ukraine scheduled for 13 October.
What happened
All 27 EU member states agreed to open negotiating clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine's EU accession, in a decision announced on 12 October by Irish Minister for European Affairs and Defence Thomas Byrne, whose country currently holds the EU Council presidency. Byrne announced the agreement on X and described the day as a "Super Tuesday" for Albania, Moldova and Ukraine, the day after what he called a "Montenegro Monday."
Cluster 2 covers the internal market, including the free movement of goods, workers, services and capital. Cluster 3 covers competitiveness and inclusive growth, including digital transformation, economic policy, health, education, taxation and science and research. The EU accession process groups negotiating chapters into six thematic clusters; two — "Fundamentals" and "External Relations" — had already been opened for Ukraine before this decision.
The same package opens clusters 2 and 3 for Moldova. EU member states also agreed to close three negotiating chapters (17, 18 and 19) for Montenegro and one chapter (20) for Albania.
European Council President António Costa welcomed the cluster openings for Ukraine and Moldova, saying EU enlargement remains a key geopolitical priority and a step toward a united, stronger and more secure Europe. An intergovernmental conference between Ukraine and the EU is scheduled for 13 October in Luxembourg, at which clusters 2 and 3 are to be formally opened.
On 12 October, the Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 16119 on the educational rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities, and President Zelensky signed it, expanding opportunities for education in languages of national minorities that are official EU languages, alongside Ukrainian — a move linked to Hungary's prior conditions for unblocking Ukraine's accession talks.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on the exact date of the member-state agreement: some place it on Monday 12 October (the day Byrne's post appeared), while others place the decision on Tuesday 13 October, and the formal intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg is also reported for 13 October. There is also a minor difference in how the Montenegro and Albania chapter closures are described: one domestic source summarises them as three chapters for Montenegro and one for Albania without numbers, while another specifies chapters 17, 18 and 19 for Montenegro and chapter 20 for Albania.
Background
Ukraine submitted its EU membership application on 28 February 2022 and was granted candidate status on 23 June 2022; accession talks were formally permitted at the end of 2023 and formally began in 2024. The accession process groups negotiating chapters into six thematic clusters. Cluster 2 covers the internal market (free movement of goods, workers, services and capital); cluster 3 covers competitiveness and inclusive growth (digital transformation, economic policy, health, education, science and research).
On 12 October, the Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 16119 on the educational rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities, and President Zelensky signed it — a step linked to Hungary's prior conditions for unblocking Ukraine's accession talks. Byrne characterised the previous day as a "Montenegro Monday," referring to chapter-closure progress for Montenegro and Albania.