The European Union expands accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova

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The European Union decided to expand accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, as representatives of the 27 member states agreed in Luxembourg on Monday to open talks on two additional substantive negotiation areas.

The Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union said that these two areas relate specifically to the single market as well as competitiveness and inclusive growth.

The single market includes the free movement of goods, services, capital and workers, while competitiveness covers topics such as economic and tax policy, education and research.

The decision to expand the talks is seen as an important signal to both countries that their reform initiatives are bearing fruit.

For Ukraine in particular, which has been at war with Russia for the fifth year, these two areas require enormous effort.

The negotiation process for joining the European Union aims to ensure that the candidate country meets all membership requirements.

To make the process more manageable, it has been divided into 35 chapters. Of these chapters, 33 are devoted to six subject areas known as clusters.

The talks, especially for Ukraine, are not expected to end before the next decade. According to experts, Ukraine is still a long way from meeting EU standards, especially in areas such as the fight against corruption.