The Republic of Moldova will officially open accession negotiations with the European Union on two additional groups of chapters on Tuesday, October 13. The negotiations will cover the internal market, competitiveness and inclusive growth.
The two groups are Cluster 2 – “Internal Market” and Cluster 3 – “Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth.”
“This decision confirms the unanimous support of the member states for the Republic of Moldova’s accession to the EU and recognition of the progress our country has made,” Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov wrote on her Facebook page.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. Moldova time. Following the meeting, statements will be made to the press by Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne.
To date, Moldova has opened negotiations on Cluster 1 – “Fundamentals” and Cluster 6 – “External Relations.”
Once negotiations on the two new clusters are opened, two groups of chapters will remain for which negotiations have not yet begun: Cluster 4 – “Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity” and Cluster 5 – “Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion.”
The Republic of Moldova was granted EU candidate status in June 2022, and the accession negotiation process advanced in 2026 with the opening of additional clusters. The accession process covers 33 chapters grouped into six clusters. Negotiations on Cluster 1 – “Fundamentals” were opened on June 15, while those on Cluster 6 – “External Relations” began on July 14.
The government aims to complete the technical negotiations by early 2028 and have Moldova ready for EU accession by 2030.