The start date of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union remains uncertain due to the lack of agreement from Hungary. Suspilna reported this on June 2 with reference to one of the EU diplomats.
According to the interlocutor, Budapest has not yet shown any changes in its position regarding the launch of at least the first cluster of negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the European Union. Hungary opposed this last year. The then Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, said that the results of the so-called referendum on Ukraine's membership in the European Union, organized by his government, made it possible to stop Ukraine's accession to the EU.
“We asked them several times today, and so far there is nothing new,” the diplomat said.
At the same time, the EU emphasizes that the political will to advance the process remains, and negotiations can be quickly intensified after agreements are reached. If the green light is received, meetings of working groups and ambassadors can be quickly convened, but preparatory procedures will take at least a week.
The formal opening date of the first negotiation cluster has not yet been determined and depends on the results of consultations between Ukraine and Hungary. Possible options are being considered on June 15-16, when meetings of EU foreign and European affairs ministers will take place in Luxembourg.
At the same time, according to the interlocutor, if preparations are delayed, the Cypriot presidency is ready to later convene an intergovernmental conference necessary for the official opening of the negotiation cluster.
Earlier, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Hungary Peter Madyar stated that Budapest’s position on Ukraine’s accession to the EU would depend, in particular, on Kyiv’s position on the issue of “the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia.”
