EU enlargement body to discuss Ukraine's screening results Tuesday in Brussels
The EU Council's Working Party on Enlargement (COELA) is set to meet in Brussels on 20 October to review the screening of Ukrainian legislation under negotiating clusters 4 and 5. With four of six clusters already open, the discussion is the next step toward opening the final pair, which Ukrainian officials expect by mid-December after Hungary's veto was lifted.
Key points
- COELA meets in Brussels on 20 October at 11:30 Kyiv time, with Ukraine as the first agenda item.
- The meeting will review screening results for cluster 4 (Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity) and cluster 5 (Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion Policy).
- An analogous screening review is also being held for clusters 4 and 5 in Moldova's accession talks.
- Four of six negotiating clusters are open, with clusters 4 and 5 the last two to be opened.
- On 13 October, the EU Council opened two further clusters, after the Verkhovna Rada amended the education law to lift Hungary's veto.
- Deputy Prime Minister Vsevolod Chentsov said in an interview that relations with Hungary have turned a page and that opening clusters 4 and 5 is realistically expected in mid-December.
Why it matters
Opening clusters 4 and 5 would complete the set of six negotiating clusters in Ukraine's EU accession process and move the country further toward membership. It would also place Ukraine on a concrete path past Hungary's prior veto and unlock further alignment with EU rules on the green agenda, sustainable connectivity, resources, agriculture and cohesion policy.
What happened
The EU Council's Working Party on Enlargement (COELA) is due to meet in Brussels on Tuesday, 20 October, starting at 11:30 Kyiv time. Ukraine is the first item on the agenda: a review of the screening of Ukrainian legislation under cluster 4 ("Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity") and cluster 5 ("Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion Policy"). A parallel screening review for the same two clusters is scheduled for Moldova. The meeting is the next procedural step before clusters 4 and 5 can be opened in Ukraine's accession negotiations; four of six clusters are already open and clusters 4 and 5 are the last two still to be opened. On 13 October, the EU Council officially opened two more clusters, a step that became possible after the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, approved amendments to the education law to lift Hungary's veto. According to Ukrainian officials, the opening of the final pair is realistically expected in mid-December.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage frames the 20 October meeting as a direct step toward opening the final two negotiating clusters. Outlets highlight Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Vsevolod Chentsov's statement that relations with Hungary have turned a page and that opening clusters 4 and 5 is realistically expected in mid-December. The Verkhovna Rada's education-law amendments are presented as the political concession that enabled the 13 October cluster openings, and the government expects Hungary will no longer block the process.
Background
Clusters 4 and 5 cover "Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity" and "Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion Policy," respectively. Four of six negotiating clusters were already open for Ukraine before the 20 October meeting, leaving clusters 4 and 5 as the last two still to be opened. On 13 October, the EU Council officially opened two additional clusters, a step that required the Verkhovna Rada to amend the education law to lift Hungary's veto. A similar screening review for clusters 4 and 5 is also scheduled for Moldova at the same COELA meeting, indicating parallel enlargement work.