Brussels: The European Union on Tuesday advanced accession negotiations with Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro, and Albania, holding four intergovernmental accession conferences in Brussels in what Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos described as a landmark day for the bloc's enlargement policy.

According to Anadolu Agency, "Today it is really a Super Tuesday for enlargement. For more than two decades, we haven't had four accession conferences in one day," Kos told reporters ahead of the meetings. She referred to the four candidate countries as "a lucky four-leaf clover for enlargement," indicating that each was taking another significant step toward EU membership.

For Ukraine and Moldova, the EU opened negotiations on Cluster 6, which covers external relations. This cluster includes Chapter 30 on external relations and Chapter 31 on foreign, security, and defense policy, requiring candidate countries to align with the EU's trade, foreign, and security policies, including sanctions, political declarations, and defense cooperation. Kos noted that the European Commission considers Ukraine ready to move further in the accession process.

She added that the opening of the remaining four negotiation clusters would depend on the rotating presidency of the European Council and the member states. Ukrainian officials welcomed the opening of negotiations on Cluster 6, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha describing it as "another clear signal that Ukraine's path to the EU is steadily moving forward." Sybiha expressed gratitude toward the EU Commission, Ireland2026eu, and all EU Member States for their leadership and support in making this milestone possible. He emphasized Ukraine's commitment to advancing reforms and achieving full alignment with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Separately, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry stated that the opening of accession negotiations on Cluster 6 marks "another important milestone" on Chisinau's European path. They emphasized that "every step forward brings Moldova closer to EU membership and to a safer, stronger and more prosperous future for our citizens."

The EU also marked progress in the accession processes of the Western Balkan candidates. Kos described the conference with Albania as "a watershed moment," noting that the country had begun closing negotiating chapters for the first time. She also highlighted Montenegro's progress, describing it as the "frontrunner" among candidate countries, having provisionally closed two additional chapters, bringing the total to 18 out of 33.