IRELAND has welcomed the progress being made by four nations in their bid to gain EU membership.
Four Intergovernmental Conferences (IGCs) taking place this week are being chaired by Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne.
They mark the “important progress on the EU accession paths of Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova” under Ireland’s EU Presidency, a spokesperson for Mr Byrne’s office explained.
The meetings, which began yesterday and conclude today, saw Montenegro reach a significant step in its EU accession.
Minister Byrne described yesterday as “Montenegro Monday”, as the nation closed three additional negotiating chapters in the process.
“Montenegro has now closed 21 out of the 33 negotiating chapters required,” Minister Byrne said.
“This is a significant achievement and a further step towards Montenegro’s goal of closing all chapters by the end of the year,” he added.
Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne“Ireland is working closely with all EU member states and the European Commission to conclude technical negotiations with Montenegro during our EU Presidency.”
The Minister also welcomed Albania’s progress in becoming an EU member.
“Following the closure of the first three negotiating chapters under the Irish EU Presidency in July, Albania is continuing to advance in its accession process with the closure of chapter 20 on enterprise and industrial policy,” Minister Byrne explained.
“This is another important achievement for Albania’s EU path, which confirms its role as one of the frontrunners for EU accession.
“As EU Presidency, we strongly encourage Albania to continue to implement necessary reforms to close additional chapters over the coming months.”
Minister Byrne will also chair IGCs today with Moldova and Ukraine to open new negotiating clusters for both.
“Following the opening of Cluster 1 in June and the opening of Cluster 6 in July, the opening of two more Clusters is another important step in Ukraine’s accession process,” he explained.
“We will continue to seek to open all remaining Clusters for Ukraine’s candidacy in the coming period.”
He added: “Moldova’s commitment to EU integration and its strategic alignment with our Union and its values is commendable.
“Over the coming months, we will continue to work with the European Commission and other Member States to support Moldova’s progress on its path toward EU accession.”
There are a series of themed negotiating clusters on the path for any country applying to become a member of the EU.
They cover fundamentals; internal market; competitiveness and inclusive growth; green agenda and sustainable connectivity; resources, agriculture and cohesion; and external relations.
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