Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 June 2026
128. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding Montenegro’s accession to the European Union; how Ireland is supporting that accession; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44779/26]
View answer129. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding Ukraine’s accession to the European Union; how Ireland is supporting that accession; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44780/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 129 together.
Ireland strongly supports EU enlargement which will be a priority of our upcoming EU Presidency.
Ireland was part of the first enlargement of the then European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 and we have benefitted enormously from our EU membership over the past fifty-three years. We believe that other European countries deserve the same opportunities, provided that they meet all necessary criteria.
A result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has been the re-emergence of EU enlargement as a priority policy for many EU Member States and the European Commission, as a way to protect and guarantee the prosperity, security and democratic development of the European continent. Ten countries currently hold either EU ‘candidate’ status (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine) or ‘potential candidate’ status (Kosovo).
Montenegro is the most advanced EU candidate country, with 14 out of 33 negotiating chapters currently provisionally closed. Ireland supports Montenegro's goal of closing all remaining negotiating chapters by the end of 2026. We will work during our upcoming EU Presidency to advance Montenegro's candidacy as much as possible. This will primarily depend on the implementation by Montenegro of necessary and challenging reforms in order to close individual chapters.
Ukraine applied for EU membership in 2022 and opened accession negotiations in June 2024. Last year’s Enlargement report, issued by the European Commission, highlighted that Ukraine made remarkable progress across all negotiating chapters over the reporting period. The European Commission also confirmed that Ukraine is technically ready to open all six negotiating clusters.
Since January 2025, Hungary had blocked the opening of Cluster 1 on Fundamentals with Ukraine due to a bilateral dispute over the implementation of an action plan on minorities in Ukraine. Following the recent election of Prime Minister Magyar, and a subsequent bilateral agreement between Hungary and Ukraine on the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, Hungary lifted its veto on Ukraine's candidacy. An Intergovernmental Conference to open Cluster 1 on Fundamentals with both Ukraine and Moldova is expected to take place on 15 June. If Member States will agree, Ireland aims to open all remaining negotiating clusters during our Presidency.
Ireland is also providing technical support to candidate and potential candidate countries to strengthen their administrative and institutional capacity. Last year, my Department, through the EU Enlargement and Fundamental Values Fund, launched the “Ireland for EU Enlargement” capacity-building programme which supports candidate and potential candidate countries engaged in the EU accession process. Officials from Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova participated in the 2025 programme. This year, the programme has been expanded to invite officials from all six Western Balkan countries, as well as Ukraine and Moldova.
Ireland will maintain full support to all candidate and potential candidate countries - including Ukraine and Montenegro - on their EU accession paths, provided that the necessary reforms are implemented, particularly in the areas of the Rule of Law, the Judiciary and Fundamental Values. Each of the candidate countries understands the priority which is attached to these sectors and is working with the support of EU Member States to align their national legislation to the EU acquis.
