Hungary blocks declaration on EU enlargement

EU expansion

Because of Ukraine: Hungary blocks declaration on EU enlargement

Who is making progress and where are there regressions? The EU states actually position themselves every year as countries that want to become members of their club. Will a veto have far-reaching consequences this time?

By rejecting EU accession talks with Ukraine, Hungary prevented the European Union’s annual positioning on the enlargement process. As the current Danish EU Council Presidency announced after a ministerial meeting in Brussels, the government in Budapest rejected all attempts to find an amicable solution. The planned text will now be converted into a declaration by the EU Council Presidency with the support of the other member states, said Danish European Minister Marie Bjerre in a press conference. The text also deals with the six partners in the Western Balkans as well as Turkey, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia.

According to the minister, several member states pointed out at the meeting that the Hungarian blockade was sending the wrong signal to the EU candidate countries. They want them to choose the EU and not Russia, said Bjerre. The German Minister of State for Europe Gunther Krichbaum (CDU) criticized Hungarian behavior as “increasingly destructive” and accused the government in Budapest of slowing down the EU.

For Ukraine, Hungary’s veto means that it can no longer hope for formal rounds of negotiations on its planned EU accession. However, Danish Minister Bjerre emphasized that the admission process is still making progress because work is already being done informally.

“This means that Ukraine will be given concrete instructions on how it has to implement reforms, what it should deliver and what results most member states expect from the country,” said the Dane. Accordingly, the country could make progress very quickly if Hungary were to give up its veto at some point.

The current Hungarian government justifies its rejection of Ukrainian accession to the EU with, among other things, the country’s large financial needs and the accusation that a Hungarian minority in Ukraine is being disadvantaged. During the ongoing election campaign in his country, Orban also warned that joining the EU could destroy the Hungarian economy. The blockade is therefore not expected to be lifted until after the elections in Hungary next spring at the earliest.

In addition to the text on Ukraine, the EU declaration on the enlargement process should actually have included a position on the progress and setbacks of the six partners in the Western Balkans as well as Turkey, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. According to the EU Commission’s most recent analysis, Montenegro is furthest along in the EU admission process. The country is said to be able to complete accession negotiations by the end of 2026 if it maintains the pace of reforms. For Albania, it is considered possible to complete the accession negotiations by the end of 2027.