Hungary has slowed down the process of Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the EU - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
Hungary opposed sending a letter to the European Council and the European Commission that records the common position of EU countries. This jeopardizes Ukraine's plans to open all six negotiation clusters by mid-July.
Hungary has blocked a key procedural step necessary for advancing Ukraine's and Moldova's EU accession applications. This was reported by Politico, citing two EU diplomats, writes UNN.
Details
As the publication notes, Kyiv and Chișinău reached an important milestone on the path to membership in the bloc when EU countries unanimously approved on June 15 the opening of the first formal negotiation cluster for both states. Previously, this process had been blocked for years by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who opposed Ukraine's accession to the EU. (The applications of Ukraine and Moldova are politically linked, so the progress of one depends on the other.)
Currently, both countries hope to move quickly in the accession process, and according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka, Kyiv aims to open all six negotiation clusters by mid-July.
However, these plans came under threat after Hungary on Tuesday opposed sending a letter to the European Council and the European Commission on behalf of the 27 EU countries, which was supposed to record the common position of the EU capitals. Hungary was the only country that blocked the decision, which requires unanimity, and the issue is planned to be discussed next week, the diplomats noted.
A spokesperson for the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU in Brussels did not respond to a request for comment.
This step is in line with the cautious position of Prime Minister Peter Magyar regarding Ukraine's membership.
Although Magyar did not oppose the opening of the first cluster for Ukraine, his government insisted on removing the wording "as soon as possible" regarding Ukraine's accession to the EU from the final document of the EU leaders' meeting in Brussels last week, one diplomat reported.
Both diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity, as they are not authorized to comment on closed negotiation procedures.
During a press conference after the European Council meeting last week, Magyar stated that he does not consider it appropriate to open all six clusters simultaneously, explaining that "the ink has not yet dried" after the first stage, and also that this could send the wrong signal to the Western Balkan countries — Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia — which have been moving toward EU membership for many years.