European Union and Ukraine open negotiations on two more accession clusters

The European Union and Ukraine opened negotiations on two more clusters in the accession process: the internal market and competitiveness and inclusive growth. This was announced on the European Council's website. The internal market cluster covers free movement of goods, services, workers, and capital, while the competitiveness cluster includes taxation, economic policy, industry, and digital transformation. The Council also set benchmarks for future provisional closure of chapters. Ireland's Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, praised Ukraine's resilience and commitment to reforms. The process remains condition-based, with continued monitoring of Ukraine's alignment with EU laws.