EU changes Ukraine’s accession plan because of Hungary

Written by journalist Danylo Aleksandrov

The European Union had to downscale its plans regarding the accession of Ukraine and Moldova into the bloc after resistance which came from Hungary.

Previously it was planned that five negotiation clusters would be unlocked in July. But now because of Hungary’s position this number was reduced to two – Cluster 6 which concerns external relations and Cluster 2 which targets the internal market. The rest of the clusters are likely to be reached one by one after the summer break.

Hungary’s action is likely motivated by their opposition to speeding up the accession of Ukraine into EU, an opinion which the country voiced both in public and in private. On Tuesday it became known that Hungarian representatives didn’t sign the joint letters which would open the other clusters. Despite this being more of a formality, it shows Budapest position on Ukraine’s EU membership, even after defeat of Viktor Orbán – a notable opponent of Kyiv.

The current PM of Hungary Péter Magyar defended his position by reminding that some countries in the Western Balkans have already spent years or decades to join the EU. Thus, bypassing or rushing some of the bloc’s procedures for Ukraine would look wrong to those countries.

This opinion is maintained, despite most of the other member states having a different view of the situation. They think that even if all of the planned clusters are open, it is just the beginning of a long way for Ukraine and Moldova, as the negotiations will take considerable time.

Despite this, EU officials remain optimistic, though with their ambitions somewhat reduced. Nevertheless, Ukrainian leadership represented by President Zelensky keeps the same spirit, hoping that the issues would be resolved and all other clusters opened.