Marta Kos on EU Enlargement: Moldova and Ukraine may open all the clusters by November, Georgia shows rapid erosion

“The progress on the EU path achieved so far by Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine, shows that reforms pay off. This should serve as a strong motivation for all countries engaged in the process,” EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said after the announcement of the Enlargement Package 2025 on 4 November.

Marta Kos said that for Moldova and Ukraine, the Commission will continue work “to put the Council in the position to be able, by November, to open all the clusters”. 

“We are trying to find the solution for how this could happen, and it is important that the reforms will not be stopped,” she said.

According to the Commissioner, Moldova has progressed on its accession path “with accelerated speed” and significantly deepened its cooperation with the EU, despite the continuous hybrid threats and attempts to destabilise the country on its EU course. “Moldova has made the biggest one-year progress from all the candidates,” she said.

Ukraine has demonstrated its commitment to its EU path, moving forward on key reforms, Marta Kos said. 

“I am really full of admiration for what this country is delivering. Can you imagine? We are as tough to every other candidate country, also to Ukraine – and they are delivering reforms. This is a special factor we all should consider when we speak about the success of Ukraine,” the Commissioner said. “Of course, there is still further, and steady progress needed in the fight against corruption.”

In Georgia, the situation has sharply deteriorated, with serious democratic backsliding, Marta Kos said, adding that “probably never, ever before, one of the enlargement reports has been really speaking so much about backsliding”. For the Commission, the candidate status for Georgia exists only on the paper, the Enlargement package says.

“We saw a rapid erosion of the rule of law and severe restrictions on fundamental rights. Georgian authorities need to urgently reverse their course. Georgian citizens demand a European future, and they have our support,” the Commissioner concluded. 

Find out more

Press release

2025 Enlargement Package

2025 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy

EU Enlargement page in English, Georgian, Ukrainian, Romanian and Russian