Ukraine and the European Union have officially opened the sixth negotiating cluster – External Relations – in the process of Ukraine acquiring EU membership.
Minister for European Affairs and Defence of Ireland Thomas Byrne, representing the country holding the presidency of the Council of the EU, announced this on Tuesday following the conclusion of the third Intergovernmental Conference.
"I am pleased to announce the opening of the sixth negotiating cluster with Ukraine," he said at a press conference, continuing: "This is the second cluster that the European Union has opened with Ukraine, following the opening of the first cluster, Fundamentals, in June. I welcome this sustained momentum regarding Ukraine's candidacy after a prolonged period of no movement."
Byrne emphasized that over the past few years, "despite Russia's ongoing war of aggression, Ukraine has made significant progress and put real effort into aligning its national legislation with EU law."
"This achievement by Ukraine in the enlargement process, under the most challenging circumstances, is even more impressive. Today's conference demonstrates not only our commitment to Ukraine's accession process but also Ukraine's commitment to its path to the EU, to our Union, and to our values. The progress we are making today is also an important signal to the citizens of Ukraine, who are on the front lines of European values of freedom, democracy, and equality," the Irish minister said.
According to him, over the coming months, the Irish presidency will work to continue "advancing Ukraine's candidacy in line with the current enlargement methodology and building on the technical work from the initial phase, successfully carried out by the presidencies of Denmark and Cyprus over the past year."
"In the meantime, we encourage you, Taras, (he addressed Taras Kachka, who was present) and Ukraine to continue implementing the necessary reforms, especially in the area of core fundamentals. Ukraine is an important member of the European family, and we look forward to welcoming Ukraine and its citizens into the European Union," Byrne said.
