EU "in principle" agrees on frameworks for Ukraine, Moldova accession talks

BRUSSELS -- The Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) announced on Friday that EU ambassadors agreed "in principle" on the negotiating frameworks for the accession talks of Ukraine and Moldova.

The presidency revealed on its official social media account on X that the first intergovernmental conferences will be convened on June 25 when European affairs ministers are scheduled to meet in Luxembourg.

A European Commission spokesperson has said a week ago that both countries had met all the necessary steps for accession negotiations to formally begin.

The 27 EU member states must unanimously agree to start the negotiations, which typically take years to conclude.

Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022, while Ukraine applied in February of the same year. Both countries were granted candidate status in June 2022. In December last year, EU leaders agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova.