Germany urges to support Ukraine in process of EU enlargement despite Hungary’s blocking - German Foreign Ministry
The geopolitical factor has become key in discussions on the enlargement of the European Union, but Hungary must respect the Copenhagen criteria for assessing candidate countries.
This was stated by Günter Krichbaum, State Minister for European Affairs at the German Foreign Ministry, according to Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform.
According to Krichbaum, the momentum for expansion is stronger than ever, as the geopolitical dimension is present in every discussion. The minister stressed the need to clearly define the prospects for Ukraine, Moldova, and the Balkan countries in order to ensure stability in the region.
He also noted that it is appropriate to discuss Ukraine and Moldova together, although de jure their processes are not combined. Krichbaum stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine and giving its citizens a clear perspective on EU accession, despite Hungary's blocking of the opening of the first cluster of negotiations.
"Hungary must respect the rule of law, especially with regard to the Copenhagen criteria, as this is key to the adoption of EU law," the German minister added. He stressed that one of the goals of today's meeting is to reach an agreement with Hungary on supporting the enlargement process.
