Hungary has once again blocked Ukraine’s progress toward opening last two negotiation clusters with EU
During a meeting of the EU Council’s Working Group on Enlargement (COELA) on October 27, Budapest once again failed to support further progress in Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations. The issue concerns clusters 4 and 5, the screening results for which the Hungarian side refused to approve.
This was reported by "European Pravda," citing several EU diplomats familiar with the proceedings of the meeting, according to Censor.NET.
"Hungary's position has not changed," said one of the publication's sources.
According to diplomats, the Irish presidency of the EU Council knew in advance that Budapest had no intention of changing its position. Despite this, the issue of opening the clusters was re-added to the agenda of the October 27 meeting.
One diplomat suggested that the renewed discussion had primarily a political purpose—to increase pressure on Hungary—rather than to reach an immediate decision.
Which negotiation clusters is Hungary blocking?
Cluster 4, "Green Agenda and Sustainable Interconnectivity," covers transportation, energy, trans-European networks, environmental protection, and climate policy.
Cluster 5, "Resources, Agriculture, and Cohesion Policy," covers agricultural policy, fisheries, regional development, and budgetary issues.
These are the last two negotiation clusters that remain unopened for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government expects them to be opened by the end of 2026; however, Hungary’s position is currently hindering further progress in the negotiation process.
