EU confident Hungary will back down on vetoing Ukraine’s membership talks
Photo: European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos (Getty Images)
The European Commission is optimistic about opening all negotiation clusters for Ukraine's accession to the EU this year and is confident that a compromise with Hungary will be found, according to European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.
Kos stressed that Ukraine has fulfilled its obligations, as has Moldova, and the principle of merit means that the first cluster must be opened as soon as possible.
According to her, the final word belongs to the EU member states, but the position of the European Commission remains unchanged.
She recalled that it was Hungary that once agreed to grant Ukraine candidate status. "That's how we started all this, and I am confident that we will very soon find a solution to continue the work," the European Commissioner stressed.
Kos also expressed optimism about the further progress of the negotiation process.
"I am still optimistic that we will be able to open all clusters this year and that we will find a solution with Hungary. Especially now that I visited Transcarpathia on Monday, where I wanted to see how minorities, in particular the Hungarian minority, live, and I am now confident that many of their rights are being respected. I met with two representatives of the Hungarian minority. And no one complained. So this will be part of my message when I return to Brussels," she said.
Ukraine's accession to EU
Earlier, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that Ukraine had completed the screening of legislation for the next step in the EU accession process.
"All clusters have been reviewed in record time. Ukraine has fulfilled the conditions. Ukraine is ready for the next step. Now it is up to the member states to decide," Kos said.
At the same time, Hungary is using its veto power as an EU member state to block the start of negotiations with Ukraine on certain clusters.
The main reason is Budapest's claims regarding the protection of the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia and the requirement to comply with certain internal norms of Ukraine.
Due to Hungary's position, the EU is currently unable to officially open the first negotiation clusters for Ukraine, although Brussels recognizes that Ukraine has fulfilled all the necessary obligations, and the principle of merit allows for progress.
According to the Financial Times, the European Union is discussing a temporary bypass of the Hungarian veto on accession negotiations.
Politico writes that the new plan provides for the opening of negotiations by a qualified majority of member states.
