European Commission seeks workarounds amid threat of Hungarian veto on opening Ukraine's EU accession talks - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
The EU is concerned that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will veto the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine, citing the results of "consultations." The European Commission is looking for ways to bypass unanimity to resolve this issue.
The European Commission is looking for workarounds amid Hungary's threat to veto the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, and no decisions on this issue are expected at today's summit, Politico reports, UNN writes.
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"A veto on Ukraine's accession to the EU is the next frontier in Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's crusade against the war-torn country. Orbán's PR machine is promoting non-binding public consultations showing that 95 percent of Hungarians oppose Ukraine's accession, although less than 3 million people voted," the publication said.
As reported, most countries are seriously concerned that Hungary will veto the start of the first stage - or cluster, in EU parlance - of negotiations with Ukraine.
A senior EU diplomat said he expects Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to insist on the issue during his closed-door address to leaders today. As at previous summits, Hungary is expected to refuse to agree to the European Council's conclusions on Ukraine, the publication writes.
However, the European Commission is looking for ways to circumvent the unanimity requirements in the EU accession process. Leaders are not expected to make a decision on the issue of Ukraine's accession to the EU today, but the issue will continue to haunt them.
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