The European Union has officially opened the first cluster of negotiation chapters for Ukraine’s accession. The decision of the member states was announced on Monday by the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council during the intergovernmental conference held in Luxembourg, reports IPN.

The Fundamental Values Cluster is the first group of chapters that is opened and the last one to be closed in the accession process. It includes five essential chapters. These are about the Judicial System and Fundamental Rights, Justice, Freedom and Security, Public Procurement, Statistics and Financial Control.

Among the priorities outlined for Kiev by the EU within the framework of negotiations on this group of chapters are the strengthening of the independence of the judicial system and the expansion of the jurisdiction of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine to cover all high-risk public functions. At the same time, a solid record of final convictions in corruption cases is sought, as well as ensuring the transparency of the legislative process and the continuity of democratic consolidation.

At the same time, the European Union noted the resilience of the Ukrainian economy in the face of Russian aggression, but called for additional reforms in the economic sector and in preventing the re-emergence of oligarchic structures in privatization processes. In the field of security, Ukraine needs to align its visa policy with that of the community bloc and intensify the fight against organized crime and arms trafficking.