The EU has opened accession negotiations with Ukraine on two areas covering the internal market and policies linked to competitiveness and inclusive growth.
The “internal market” cluster includes rules on the free movement of goods, services, workers and capital, as well as competition, financial services, company law and consumer protection, the Council of the EU informed in a statement on Wednesday.
It added that the “competitiveness and inclusive growth” cluster covers topics including taxation, economic and monetary policy, industry, digital transformation, employment, education, research and customs.
Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne, stated that the decision was “another milestone on Ukraine’s EU membership journey” and described Ukraine as showing “resilience and determination to move forward on reforms”, according to the Council of the European Union.
What the EU is negotiating with Ukraine
The Council said it has also set benchmarks for the future provisional closure of the chapters in the two clusters.
EU accession is a “merit-based process” and monitoring will continue throughout the negotiations, including Ukraine’s alignment with and implementation of the EU acquis — the body of EU laws and rules — and relevant European standards.
The move follows the opening of negotiations on the “external relations” cluster in July 2026.
