Hungary block voting changes. The EU expansion process will remain difficult

The Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban rejected on Wednesday before the informal EU summit in Copenhagen voting plan when opening the so -called Clusters in accession negotiations, which was to be presented on that day by the head of the European Council Antonio Costa.

Answering journalists before the summit of the EU leaders in Copenhagen, the Hungarian prime minister rejected the proposal according to which the most qualified majority would be enough to open negotiating chapters, not a unanimous decision of the Member States. Orban emphasized that there is a legally defined negotiation procedure that he must follow.

“I do not think that legal tricks have worked. The extension process has been going on in the same way so far. Every country had to open and close each chapter and it should not be changed,” said the Hungarian prime minister quoted by Index. All member states must agree to leave from unanimity.

Commenting on Budapest's position towards Ukrainian efforts for the EU accession, Orban pointed out that this opposition “is not a government position, but a hungarian position.” The Prime Minister referred to the results of the “VOKS 2025” national consultations previously carried out this year, in which – as the government announced in June – 95 percent. The voters were opposed to the accelerated path of Ukraine's accession to the community. The vote was accompanied by an anti -Ukrainian campaign run by Hungarian authorities.

Hungary has been blocking the start of Ukraine's negotiations with the EU since February.

On Wednesday, Orban proposed a “strategic agreement” with Kiev to replace Ukraine membership in the EU. “Ukraine is a heroic country that we need to support, it is beyond doubt. However, Hungary does not agree to the country's membership in the EU; this situation may change in a hundred years, but at the moment we will stick to our position,” the politician noted.

Atonio Costa announced in front of the Wednesday summit to present a joint response to recent violations of the airspace, including in connection with the invasion of Russian drones to Poland. The European Commission, however, pointed out that due to continuous military aggression to Ukraine and a recent increase in the violations of the airspace of the Member States, two EU flagship projects – a drone wall and the Eastern Flank Guard – “require special urgency and should be implemented immediately.”

In an interview with the media, Orban supported the plan to strengthen the protection of the EU borders against hostile drones, saying that “if a foreign object falls into Hungary, we shot down it, regardless of whether the drone wall exists or not.”

From Budapest Jakub Bawołek (PAP)

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