European Commission on Hungary’s "referendum" on Ukraine’s EU membership: National consultations are a matter for national authorities
The European Commission stated that it had "taken note" of the results of the so-called referendum on Ukraine's membership in the EU held by Hungary, but noted that "national consultations are a matter for national authorities."
According to Censor.NET, citing European Pravda, this was stated by the European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier.
"Regarding the national consultations held in Hungary, our position is very clear. We take into account the results of this national consultation. The Hungarian government convened and organized this non-binding consultation, and as you know, national consultations are a matter for national authorities," Mercier said.
According to him, the Hungarian government should now "explain how they would like to move forward."
"From our side, everything is absolutely clear. Ukraine is implementing reforms in the most difficult circumstances imaginable. The Commission has concluded that Ukraine has fulfilled the criteria for opening the first cluster, namely the cluster on fundamental issues," said Mercier.
He added that Brussels positively assessed Ukraine's plan for the integration of national minorities, which meets the concerns of its neighbors.
"We have always advocated a merit-based approach when it comes to the enlargement process, and in this case there is no objective reason to object to the opening of the cluster on fundamental issues. When a candidate country is held back without objective reasons, despite having fulfilled the criteria, the entire enlargement policy loses credibility," Mercier emphasized.
The spokesman also expressed hope that the first cluster could be opened "very soon."
