Hungary's presidency of the EU may "cause difficulties" on the way to negotiations on Ukraine's accession - mass media
Kyiv • UNN
Hungary's presidency of the EU, which began on July 1, may cause difficulties in Ukraine's negotiations with the EU due to Hungary's demands on minority rights that are not related to accession negotiations, potentially blocking these negotiations.
Hungary's presidency, which began on July 1, may "cause difficulties" on Ukraine's negotiations with the EU. Pawel Kowal, chairman of the Council for Cooperation with Ukraine and chairman of the Sejm's Foreign Affairs Committee, said this in a commentary to Radio Liberty, UNN reports.
"It is known that the Hungarians are making more and more demands on Ukraine that are de facto not related to the accession negotiations. I think that this will not change, given the role of nationalist themes in Hungarian domestic politics, especially in terms of minority rights. The Hungarians will try to include this in the negotiations, in a way that will effectively block the negotiations. But we will see, maybe they will go the other way," said the chairman of the Council for Cooperation with Ukraine.
According to him, acceleration is possible during the Polish presidency, which begins on January 1, 2025. However, he adds that "a lot depends on Ukraine.
"I think 35 chapters is a lot of work. I believe that even in an accelerated scenario, it will take 5-6 years if we are talking about negotiations. We will be watching the Hungarian presidency more closely. I believe that it is very important for us to conduct negotiations quickly, but very deeply, especially in those issues that may later be a source of some conflicts or internal competition. This is what we need to focus on. It is also a good idea to start with security issues, law enforcement agencies and the courts. These issues should be resolved especially quickly in the EU's negotiations with Ukraine," the politician said.
As for the meeting of the Government Council for Cooperation with Ukraine, headed by Pawel Kowal, he said the work is ongoing, and several groups have been set up.
"The Council combines the role of an authorized body and the role of a broader public forum for discussion on Polish-Ukrainian relations. Recently, we have been focused on organizing a Polish delegation to attend a conference in Berlin. It went very well, we had a large representation in various fields - business, culture, and government. In addition, cooperation of working groups on culture, business and disinformation has already begun. These groups will prepare recommendations for the Prime Minister on a regular basis," Koval said.
According to him, "cooperation with Ukraine is broad and good in many aspects. The main goal is to find the best solutions to rebuild Ukraine.
