Ukraine and Moldova are moving closer to opening formal EU membership negotiations after officials signaled that Hungary is prepared to withdraw its veto on Kyiv’s accession bid.
As per a Politico report, EU governments plan to open the first negotiating “cluster” at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg on June 15. This would be the first formal step in detailed talks on political, legal and economic reforms required before accession.
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“Negotiations are ongoing. No agreement has been reached,” said an official speaking on condition of anonymity. Although “no decision” had yet been taken formally, the country’s new leadership has privately signaled openness on lifting the veto for both Ukraine and Moldova, meaning both tracks advance together.
Under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Budapest strongly opposed Ukraine’s accession.
During a meeting on Monday between Ukrainian and Hungarian experts on the matter of minority rights for Hungarians living in Ukraine, the Ukrainian side provided assurances on how to resolve most concerns, laid out in an 11-point plan originally prepared under Orban.
“Not all of Hungary’s requests can be immediately granted,” one of the diplomats said, adding that no new legislation in Ukraine is set as a precondition for opening the first cluster.
Although no final decision has yet been made, EU ambassadors are now drafting a common stance based on Ukraine’s internal reform plans and its approach to minority protections.
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If all 27 member states agree, the conference in Luxembourg on June 15 will open the first cluster for Ukraine and Moldova, with unanimity still required at each stage of the accession process.
Hungary secures previously frozen EU funds
Earlier this week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the EU will unlock €16.4 billion ($19.1 billion) of previously frozen recovery and cohesion funds for Hungary following successful policy reforms under the country’s new government.
The financial package includes €10 billion ($11.6 billion) from the Next Generation EU recovery fund, €4.2 billion ($4.9 billion) in cohesion funds, and an additional €2.2 billion ($2.6 billion) tied to the completion of academic freedom benchmarks.
The EU made the unfreezing of funds conditional on tackling corruption that had grown under Orban’s government, which has long been criticized by Brussels over rule-of-law backsliding and misuse of EU money.
According to one of the diplomats quoted in the same Politico report, talks on Ukraine’s membership picked up pace after Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar went to Brussels to meet with EU officials on how to unlock €16.4 billion ($19.6 billion).
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