“As Soon as Possible” Removed from Draft EU Summit Conclusions on Negotiating Clusters for Moldova and Ukraine

The updated draft conclusions of the October 15-16 EU summit no longer include the words “as soon as possible” in reference to opening the remaining negotiating clusters for Ukraine and Moldova. This is evident from a comparison of the October 13 and 14 versions of the document, obtained by a correspondent of European Pravda. The October 13 version of the European Council conclusions stated in the section on Ukraine that the European Council “looks forward to the opening of all remaining clusters as soon as possible, in line with the merit-based approach”. In the updated draft, the words “as soon as possible” have been removed. The relevant provision now states that the European Council “looks forward to the opening of all remaining clusters, in line with the merit-based approach”. A similar change was made to the separate paragraph on Moldova: the reference to the prompt opening of the remaining negotiating clusters was also removed. At the same time, both paragraphs retain the wording welcoming the holding of intergovernmental conferences on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU, as well as the opening of Clusters 2 and 3 on October 13, 2026.