Orban may get unexpected support in attempts to keep Ukraine out of the EU - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban may find support in his attempts to hinder Ukraine's accession to the EU, particularly from French President Emmanuel Macron. The proposal by European Council President António Costa to change EU accession rules to circumvent Hungary's resistance is meeting opposition from a number of countries, including France, the Netherlands, and Greece.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán may find support in his attempts to hinder Ukraine's accession to the EU even in the most unexpected places, "including from French President Emmanuel Macron," Politico reports, writes UNN.
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Ahead of the EU leaders' meeting in Copenhagen on October 1, European Council President António Costa lobbied among European leaders, trying to find a way to circumvent Hungary's resistance to Ukraine's accession to the bloc, among other blocked membership applications.
He proposed changing EU rules so that official accession negotiations could begin after approval by a qualified majority of leaders, rather than by unanimous consent, as is currently required.
"However, Costa's plan is controversial. While Orbán is the EU leader closest to President Vladimir Putin and most hostile to Ukraine, other leaders have very different motives for joining him - mainly to protect the right of veto," the publication says.
"The plan faces opposition from a number of EU countries, including France, the Netherlands and Greece, and is unlikely to receive widespread approval in Denmark," three EU diplomats and a representative of the French president's administration said.
These countries are reportedly concerned that by changing the accession rules, they would also limit their own ability to block membership applications they consider problematic, the same sources said. "This opens up a host of opportunities for rivalry that Orbán can play on: for example, it is important for the Greeks to show that they can delay Turkey's membership negotiations, just as the Bulgarians want to be able to put an end to relations with North Macedonia, and the Croats want to block Serbia," the publication writes.
"Regarding this proposal, we are very cautious," a Greek official said, referring to Costa's proposal to adjust the rules.
Paris has also historically opposed Turkey's accession to the bloc, and Macron told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2018 that there was no chance of Ankara's application progressing.
"It's obvious that the Hungarians are blocking the Ukrainians," said a first EU diplomat.
"But that's not all. The Bulgarians want to be able to block the Macedonians, the Croats want to control the Serbs, Greece and Cyprus don't want Turkey to get closer to the EU, and Greece would also like to keep an eye on Albania," the diplomat added.
Costa's proposal would open the way forward not only for Ukraine, whose application has been delayed for several months due to Orbán's veto, but also for Moldova, as the candidacies of these two countries are linked.
According to a senior EU official, Costa's proposal will be presented for discussion in Copenhagen on Wednesday along with another proposal to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine. "No leader has yet given a categorical 'no' to this idea," the senior official said, referring to Costa's proposal to change the rules.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he supports any attempts to speed up the process. "I personally welcome any decision-making mechanism that provides greater flexibility and less opportunity for blocking, and never more so than in the case of Ukraine," he said.
But the camp of opponents of Costa and Stubb, as the publication notes, "may prove too strong." "And if the price of preserving the rules is that Ukraine and Moldova may have to wait months, or even years, before their applications are considered, these countries are willing to pay it," the publication notes.
"We are not at all convinced about changing the rules of the game during the game, because that is what some are proposing," a senior EU diplomat said.
"If voting by qualified majority [to advance the accession process] is introduced, there is a very high risk that the process will become overly politicized," they added.
An even more serious issue is that changing the rules requires the consent of all 27 member states, including Hungary, and for these diplomats, that is not an option, the publication writes.
"If we had to change or improve the decision-making process, it would also have to be done unanimously, which today seems impossible," a representative of the French president's office said.