Hungary has signaled that it will drop its long-standing opposition to Ukraine's EU membership bid, allowing it and Moldova to begin formal negotiations on joining the bloc in the coming days, Politico reports, citing four diplomats, according to UNN.
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The opening of the first negotiation "cluster" — a formal step on the path to membership — is scheduled for an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg on June 15, three diplomats said.
Kyiv and Chisinau applied for EU membership simultaneously, which means that Moldova's application can only advance if Ukraine's application also moves forward.
Budapest has strongly opposed Ukraine's accession under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, but the country's leadership has "privately signaled readiness to lift its veto following a meeting on Monday between Ukrainian and Hungarian experts on the issue of minority rights for Hungarians living in Ukraine," according to diplomats who were granted anonymity regarding the closed-door meeting.
A Hungarian official stated that "no decision" has yet been made regarding the opening of clusters for Ukraine. "Negotiations are ongoing. No agreement has been reached," the official said.
During Monday's meeting, "the Ukrainian side provided assurances on how to resolve most of the issues outlined in the 11-point plan originally prepared under Orbán," one diplomat said. Not all of Hungary's requests can be immediately satisfied, but the diplomat added that Budapest's approval does not depend on the adoption of new legislation in Ukraine, the publication notes.
"Negotiations on Ukraine's membership intensified after Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar visited Brussels and met with senior EU officials to discuss how to unblock €16.4 billion in frozen EU funds," one diplomat reported.
The diplomat said that "EU ambassadors will finalize their position on opening the first cluster for Ukraine and Moldova by the end of this week after Ukraine presents its plans for internal reforms, as well as the resolution of the minority issue." "Then EU countries will approve the opening of the cluster for Ukraine and Moldova at an intergovernmental conference on June 15," the publication states.
The opening of clusters requires the unanimous approval of all 27 EU member states. Any country can block the process at any stage, either by opposing the first cluster or any of the subsequent steps on the path to membership.
Ukraine expects to open all six negotiation clusters with the EU in June - Sybiha22.05.26, 16:34