EU hands Ukraine and Moldova next steps toward membership despite Orbán block – POLITICO

BRUSSELS — The EU on Tuesday pressed ahead with the steps needed to get Ukraine and Moldova into the bloc, despite Hungary’s efforts to prevent further enlargement.

The two prospective EU members were given legal guidance covering three negotiating “clusters” that need to be completed before joining (guidance for three other so-called clusters was shared in December). The whole process involves six clusters, which are subdivided into a total of 35 chapters covering a range of issues on which countries have to reach EU standards.

The EU plan is to give Kyiv and Chișinău a head start on the technical work needed even though formal negotiations remain stalled because of a Hungarian block.