The EU and the Republic of Moldova have opened the first cluster of accession negotiations, covering areas such as the rule of law, democratic institutions and economic criteria.
The opening of talks covers the so-called “fundamentals” cluster, which includes parts of EU law — known as the acquis — linked to the rule of law and fundamental rights, public administration reform and the functioning of democratic institutions, the Council of the EU noted in a statement on Monday.
The cluster includes negotiating chapters on the judiciary and fundamental rights; justice, freedom and security; public procurement; statistics; and financial control.
The EU has set interim benchmarks for the cluster overall and for the two rule-of-law chapters, which must be met before talks can move into their concluding phase and begin provisionally closing chapters.
Benchmarks were also set for the provisional closure of the chapters on public procurement, statistics and financial control.
How the “fundamentals” cluster fits into the talks
Negotiations on the fundamentals are the first to be opened and the last to be closed in the accession process, with progress in this area determining the overall pace of negotiations, the Council said.
The accession process is merit-based, and progress in aligning with and implementing EU rules and European standards will continue to be monitored throughout negotiations.
Marilena Raouna, Cyprus’s deputy minister for European affairs, said the Cypriot presidency of the Council had “driven forward” the work that led to the opening of the cluster.
Since a revised methodology introduced in 2020, EU accession chapters have been organised into six thematic clusters: fundamentals; internal market; competitiveness and inclusive growth; green agenda and sustainable connectivity; resources, agriculture and cohesion; and external relations.
