Overview

• European Council President António Costa is lobbying capitals to let a qualified majority open accession negotiating clusters to overcome Hungary’s veto, while closures and final accession would still require unanimity.
• The European Commission said shifting to qualified majority for certain interim steps "could be explored" and signaled readiness to move toward opening the first cluster for Ukraine and Moldova.
• Several countries, including France, the Netherlands and Greece, resist curbing veto powers, and diplomats note that changing the rules may itself require unanimous agreement.
• Ukraine completed bilateral legislative screening across all six clusters on Sept. 30, with Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos calling Kyiv ready for the next step.
• Leaders are expected to discuss the proposal at an informal summit in Copenhagen, as Kyiv publicly backs the move and Moldova urges the EU to unblock progress after its pro‑EU election win.