EU opens Clusters 2 and 3: Ukraine now has 4 of 6 accession negotiation blocks
On 13 October in Luxembourg the EU Council opened Ukraine's Internal Market and Competitiveness clusters. The move followed Hungary lifting its veto after a law on Hungarian-speaking minority rights.
Decision in Luxembourg
On 13 October the Council of the European Union, at an intergovernmental conference with Ukraine, formally opened two more negotiating clusters: Cluster 2 “Internal Market” and Cluster 3 “Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth”. Irish Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne, chairing enlargement talks until end-2026, announced the step, European Pravda / Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Together with Moldova, Ukraine now has four of six thematic clusters open: the first (rule of law) opened in June and another on external relations in July. Byrne welcomed “continued momentum” after a prolonged standstill.
What the clusters mean
Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said behind the technical titles lie real benefits for Ukrainians: business support, better working conditions, consumer protection, investment and jobs. Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Vsevolod Chentsov said Ukraine is fully committed to the reforms and intends to move through them as quickly as possible.
Clusters 2 and 3 are the largest by number of policy files. Two clusters remain, including agriculture and transport, where some EU capitals fear competition from Ukraine. France and Poland on 13 October reiterated support for opening all six clusters by year-end.
Hungary’s veto lifted
The breakthrough followed the Verkhovna Rada’s passage the day before of education-law amendments strengthening rights of the Hungarian-speaking minority — Budapest’s demand. All member states agreed on 12 October to open Clusters 2 and 3, unlocking the Luxembourg ceremony.
In his evening address Zelensky had expected exactly this step this week and recalled that Ukraine wants all six clusters open by the end of the year.
Why it matters
Opening a majority of clusters moves accession from political pause back into practical reform work. The hardest files — agriculture and transport — still lie ahead, but four open clusters in wartime signal that the EU is willing to advance despite vetoes and enlargement fatigue.
Sources
This is an original short summary. All facts are as reported by the source below.
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