Hungary is blocking the opening of the remaining negotiation clusters for Ukraine and Moldova
Hungary has blocked a procedural decision necessary to open new negotiation clusters regarding Ukraine and Moldova’s accession to the European Union. As a result, the plan to open the remaining negotiation clusters by mid-July is now in jeopardy. The issue is set to be reconsidered next week.
The process of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union may slow down due to Hungary’s position. According to Politico, citing two EU diplomats, Budapest has blocked a key procedural step required to open new negotiation clusters for Ukraine and Moldova.
After the first negotiation cluster was opened, both countries announced their intention to begin work on the remaining areas by mid-July. However, this timeline is now in question. According to the publication, during discussions within the European Union, Hungary opposed sending an official letter to the European Council and the European Commission. The document was supposed to set out a common position of all member states on the further progress of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
According to diplomats, Budapest was the only capital that did not support this initiative. “Hungary opposed sending a letter on behalf of all 27 EU member states,” Politico reports, citing sources in diplomatic circles.
The situation is complicated by the fact that such decisions require the unanimous support of all European Union countries. Even a single dissenting vote effectively prevents the process from moving forward. The publication’s sources note that the matter is not yet definitively closed. European diplomats plan to return to the discussion as early as next week.
At the same time, this move fits well with Budapest’s overall policy on EU enlargement. Hungarian authorities have repeatedly expressed reservations about the prospects of Ukraine’s rapid accession to the European Union. Despite this, work on the negotiation process continues in Brussels. Ukraine and Moldova remain among the key candidates for accession, and the opening of new negotiation chapters is considered one of the most important steps on the path to full membership.
No final decision has been made yet, but the coming days could be decisive in determining whether Ukraine and Moldova will be able to adhere to the previously announced schedule for negotiations with the European Union. Two unnamed EU diplomats reported this to Politico.
Hungary has restored access to a number of Ukrainian news websites that had been blocked in response to reciprocal restrictions imposed by Kyiv. The decision marks a step toward partially unblocking the flow of information between the countries following a media conflict.
Hungary pushed to remove language regarding Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the EU from the final declaration of the European Union summit.
