The EU has effectively separated the accession trajectories of Ukraine and Moldova, with each country now expected to advance towards membership at its own pace after the opening of the first negotiating cluster, reported European Pravda.

The shift reflects a more explicitly “merit-based” approach to enlargement, under which progress depends on the individual pace of reforms rather than political synchronisation between candidate countries.

Speaking after the EU–Moldova Summit on June 22, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that once the first cluster of accession negotiations is opened, each candidate country becomes responsible for its own reform delivery.

“Each candidate country is responsible for itself, because they have to fulfil their reform commitments, and these reforms are different for different candidate countries,” she said.

Her comments confirm that although Ukraine and Moldova have been closely linked in the early stages of EU accession talks, their paths will now diverge as they move deeper into the negotiation process.

As reported by European Pravda’s correspondent in Brussels, von der Leyen emphasised that future progress will depend strictly on the pace at which each country implements EU-required reforms, rather than any shared timetable.

Responding to questions about the possibility of opening additional negotiating clusters, she stressed that her remarks were focused specifically on Moldova, given the context of the summit.

“I think the merit-based process is much more for Moldova than the term ‘as soon as possible’. Because ‘as soon as possible’ does not say anything. But a merit-based process tells you very clearly on the ground of our methodology that has been agreed by all 27 member states,” she said.

Von der Leyen added that an accession process grounded in measurable progress would ultimately benefit Moldova, as it would provide clearer benchmarks and allow the European Commission to assess reform implementation more transparently.

“If accession negotiations are based on a merit-based process, it’s much better for Moldova, because then they can deliver and we can follow our promise,” she said.

The European Commission’s position reflects broader tensions within the EU over enlargement policy, particularly as it relates to Ukraine, whose accession has become a politically sensitive issue amid the ongoing war.

While Ukraine and Moldova were initially grouped together in the early stages of their EU candidacies, both countries have different economic structures, institutional capacities and geopolitical constraints. These differences are increasingly shaping how Brussels structures the negotiation process.

Ukraine, with its significantly larger economy and ongoing war-related reconstruction needs, faces a more complex set of reforms across governance, judiciary independence, public administration and sectoral alignment with EU standards. Moldova, while also pursuing ambitious reforms, operates on a smaller scale and has been viewed by some EU officials as potentially able to move more quickly in certain areas.

The political dimension of enlargement remains equally significant. Former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán consistently opposed Ukraine’s rapid EU accession, and his successor Péter Magyar has signalled an even firmer stance, claiming to have “crossed out” the prospect of accelerated Ukrainian membership from EU summit conclusions.

This internal EU divergence adds another layer of complexity to the accession process, particularly as unanimity among member states is required for key steps in enlargement negotiations.

Despite these challenges, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has maintained expectations of continued progress, saying he hopes that the remaining five negotiating clusters in Ukraine’s accession process could be opened in the coming weeks.