European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said this at a press conference in Brussels on July 17, according to Ukrinform.She emphasized that the European Commission supports the merit-based principle: when a country meets the conditions, the EU should move forward.“We constantly talk about the merit-based principle, and when candidate countries do their part, we should also do ours. A year ago, Ukraine did its homework, so the European Commission’s position is clear: we must open the first cluster as soon as possible for both Ukraine and Moldova," said the commissioner.Kos also noted that the decision regarding the separation of the accession processes for Ukraine and Moldova should be made by EU leaders."As you know, our member states, unanimously, along with Hungary, decided to grant candidate status and begin accession talks with Ukraine," she said.She further highlighted Ukraine's progress, especially amid the war.“How Ukraine is progressing on its path to the EU is impressive, especially considering the bombings Ukraine faces,” said Kos.Ukraine’s EU membership pathOn February 28, 2022, Ukraine applied for immediate EU membership under a special procedure.On June 23, 2022, Ukraine was granted EU candidate status.On November 8, 2023, the European Commission recommended starting negotiations for Ukraine’s EU membership.In January 2024, the European Commission supported a decision to begin screening Ukraine's legislation.On June 25, Ukraine and Moldova started EU accession negotiations.On June 30, the European Commission stated it was ready to open the first negotiation clusters with Ukraine in 2025, contingent on fulfilling necessary conditions.On April 9, 2025, then-Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that Ukraine had fulfilled 81% of its commitments under the EU Association Agreement. Later, Commissioner for Enlargement Marija Kos noted that all negotiation clusters could be opened by the end of 2025.The only country blocking Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations is Hungary.On June 26, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that over 2.28 million Hungarians voted in a referendum, with 2.17 million supposedly voting against Ukraine’s EU membership."My voice is stronger and more courageous, and I will say on behalf of more than two million Hungarians that Hungary does not support Ukraine's EU accession," said Orbán.At the same time, anti-Ukrainian pamphlets were sent out alongside ballots, claiming that Ukraine’s EU membership would threaten pensions, spread epidemics, flood Hungary's market with cheap, poor-quality agricultural products, bring Ukrainian organized crime, and take jobs from Hungarians.