Hungary has blocked the next stage of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU
Politico reports this, citing European diplomats.
What Hungary blocked
According to the publication, on 23 June, Hungary opposed the sending of a joint letter on behalf of all 27 EU Member States to the European Council and the European Commission.
The document was intended to set out the EU’s common position on the further progress of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
According to diplomats, Hungary was the only country that did not support this decision. As such matters require unanimous approval, the procedure was blocked.
How this affects Ukraine’s negotiations
Following the opening of the first negotiation cluster, Ukraine and Moldova had hoped to open the remaining clusters by mid-July.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously stated that adopting such a decision by 15 July — Ukrainian Statehood Day — would be a symbolic step.
However, following Budapest’s actions, this timetable has been thrown into doubt.
The issue is expected to be reconsidered next week.
Why Hungary is opposed
Officially, Budapest links its position to the issue of the rights of the Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia.
Previously, the new Hungarian government had agreed to support the opening of the first negotiation cluster after Ukraine included the issue of protecting the rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians in its action plan on national minorities.
At the same time, the Hungarian authorities have repeatedly stated that further progress in the negotiations will depend on Kyiv fulfilling its relevant commitments.
Background
On 15 June, all 27 Member States of the European Union agreed to open the first negotiation cluster on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU.
This came after years of obstruction by Hungary’s former Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, who had opposed the progress of Ukraine’s membership application.
Following the change of government in Budapest, the new government led by Péter Magyar adopted a more moderate stance, although it did not express direct support for Ukraine’s swift accession to the European Union.
Hungary’s decision does not bring the negotiation process to a complete halt, but it could significantly slow it down.
As the consent of all Member States is required for key decisions on EU enlargement, the position of even a single country is sufficient to block certain stages of the negotiations.
The future of the issue will depend on negotiations between Budapest, Kyiv and other EU capitals.
Previously, representatives of the Hungarian government stated that negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU could be automatically suspended if Kyiv failed to comply with agreements regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia.
As reported by ThePublic, Hungary has changed its stance on Ukraine’s EU accession: what Magyar
said.
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