Moldova is ready to open the remaining four negotiating clusters in its European Union accession process, President Maia Sandu told European Council President António Costa during a telephone conversation on October 8, according to the presidential administration cited by Newsmaker.

The call took place ahead of the European Council meeting scheduled for October 15-16, which is expected to address EU enlargement and institutional reform.

Sandu and Costa also discussed the European Commission’s October 6 proposals for preparing candidate countries for membership and adapting the bloc for further enlargement, as well as accession roadmaps being developed for the most advanced candidates, including Moldova.

Moldova could also be separated from Ukraine in the accession negotiations, according to diplomatic sources cited by Rapporteur. The two countries have so far been treated together in the enlargement process, but some EU diplomats reportedly believe that decoupling is becoming increasingly likely.

“I really see that we could have at least two or three new member states by 2030 — if they do their homework,” European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said on October 8, according to the publication.

Montenegro and Albania are currently viewed as the leading candidates for accession, Rapporteur reported, leaving open the question of which country could become the third new member by 2030.

The debate over Moldova and Ukraine’s accession paths comes as Hungary announced on October 8 that it would lift its veto on two negotiating clusters for Ukraine. Budapest had linked progress in the negotiations to the adoption by Ukraine’s parliament of a new law on minority rights in education. 

The move is also expected to facilitate progress in Moldova’s accession talks, given the two countries’ current linkage in the EU enlargement process.

However, diplomats quoted anonymously by Rapporteur said discussions behind closed doors increasingly focused on when, rather than whether, Moldova might be separated from Ukraine in the accession process.