Hungary may unblock two clusters of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to EU, - Financial Times
Budapest is prepared to unblock the start of the negotiation clusters on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, but has set a condition. The Hungarian side’s key condition is that the rights of national communities be safeguarded.
This is reported by Censor.NET, citing the Financial Times.
Technical lifting of the veto and new negotiation clusters
As early as this week, Hungary may lift its veto at the procedural stage of Ukraine’s European integration. In Brussels, there are hopes that this decision will enable significant progress to be made in negotiations with Kyiv by the end of the month. According to sources, the Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has instructed that no obstacles be placed in the way of sending official letters to Ukraine and Moldova regarding the next two negotiating blocks.
This concerns the chapters relating to the internal market and competition rules. According to the Financial Times, this issue has been added to the agenda for this week’s working meetings. The newspaper’s sources note that whilst this move is of a technical nature, it sends an important signal: Budapest no longer intends to stand in the way of Ukraine and Moldova’s progress towards European integration at this stage.
What are the conditions in Hungary?
At the same time, Budapest’s agreement to the technical procedures does not guarantee final political approval of the negotiating packages. According to the Financial Times, Hungary’s position will depend on the vote in the Verkhovna Rada on 12 October on the draft law to expand the educational rights of national minorities.
The protection of the Hungarian community in Ukraine remains a matter of principle for Orbán in his dialogue with Kyiv, which is why Budapest is closely monitoring relevant initiatives. It is reported that this document was drafted taking into account the amendments and comments from the Hungarian side, and its adoption could pave the way for full support for Ukraine’s European integration.
Prospects for the launch of clusters ahead of the EU summit
If the vote in parliament is successful, the new clusters could be officially launched even before the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, which is due to take place in ten days’ time.
"Ukraine’s path to accession is taking shape, in line with the process and a realistic approach," said an EU official familiar with the progress of the discussions with Budapest.
