MARTA KOS, THE official responsible for overseeing countries seeking to join the European Union, will visit Ireland today as the government prepares to take on a leading role in one of the bloc’s most ambitious enlargement drives in decades.

Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, is due to meet Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee and Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne during a series of engagements focused on the future expansion of the bloc.

The visit comes days after Ukraine and Moldova moved significantly closer to EU membership when Hungary dropped its opposition to opening the next phase of accession negotiations.

Ireland will assume the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union next month and has identified enlargement as one of its key priorities during its six-month term.

Ahead of her meeting with the commissioner, McEntee said enlargement would be a “key priority” for Ireland during the EU presidency.

“Ireland strongly supports the aspirations of all candidate countries, provided the necessary reforms are delivered,” McEntee said.

The government has repeatedly backed Ukraine’s efforts to join the European Union following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and Taoiseach Micheál Martin has previously said Ukraine “belongs in the EU”.

Last week, EU ambassadors approved the opening of the first formal cluster of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova after Budapest and Kyiv reached an agreement on the rights of Ukraine’s ethnic Hungarian minority.

The move marked one of the most significant developments in Ukraine’s membership bid since President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally applied to join the bloc days after Russia launched its invasion.

While full membership remains years away, Irish ministers have signalled they want to use the country’s upcoming presidency to advance negotiations with candidate countries.

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Byrne described the current moment as a “generational opportunity” for Europe “to further unify our continent”.

“Ireland is determined to seize that opportunity,” Byrne said.

“Ireland has benefitted significantly from our EU membership and from previous rounds of EU enlargement.”

The European Commission has identified Ukraine, Moldova and countries in the Western Balkans as key candidates for future expansion, although all must complete extensive political, legal and economic reforms before joining the bloc.