The European Union held intergovernmental accession conferences with four candidate countries on Monday, the first time in more than two decades it has convened such talks with multiple aspirants on a single day.
Ukraine and Moldova each opened a second negotiating cluster covering foreign relations, security, defence, trade, development, and humanitarian aid. Montenegro provisionally closed tracks on competition policy and customs rules, bringing its total to 18 of 33 chapters, and reaffirmed its ambition to become the bloc's 28th member state by 2028. Albania closed chapters spanning science, research, education, culture, and external relations.
The Brussels sessions mark a coordinated step toward enlargement for Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro, and Albania — the first day-long series of accession conferences since 2002.