Hungary Blocks Ukraine, Moldova’s EU Membership Talks

Hungary has delayed a critical procedural step in the EU membership bids of Ukraine and Moldova, putting Kyiv’s goal of completing all six negotiating clusters by mid-July at risk.

According to two EU diplomats, Budapest blocked the sending of a joint letter to the European Council and Commission that would share the position of all 27 EU member states, Politico reported. The accession bid requires unanimous approval, with Hungary being the only country to oppose it. 

“There are six clusters in total, and we don’t think opening them all at once is a good idea – partly because the ink on the first one isn’t even dry yet, and partly because it would send the wrong message to the countries of the Western Balkans,” that have spent years working on EU membership, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar told reporters at the end of last week’s European Council meeting in Brussels.

Reportedly, the matter will be taken up again next week.

Hungary’s shifting position

All 27 EU member states have unanimously supported and formally agreed to open the first accession negotiations cluster with Ukraine and Moldova – Cluster 1 – Fundamentals, on June 15 in Luxembourg, marking a significant milestone in both countries’ bids to join the bloc, as their bids remain politically intertwined.

For many years, this step was blocked under Hungary’s former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who opposed Ukraine’s EU membership and repeatedly cited concerns over the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.

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Since then, Magyar has taken a noticeably different approach, ultimately sealing what he called a “historic agreement” with Ukraine earlier in June, formally securing the educational, cultural, linguistic and political rights of the ethnic Hungarian communities in the Transcarpathia region.

His stance took an obstructive turn, as he secured the removal of language accelerating Ukraine’s EU accession from the European Council summit declaration, framing the move as a push for compromise over fast-tracking.

Following the blocking of Ukraine’s fast-track EU push, Magyar has expressed his desire to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Transcarpathian city of Berehove, confirming the meeting will take place – though no date or location has been agreed on.

The negotiations on the “Fundamentals” cluster are the first ones to be opened and the last ones to be closed in the accession process, with their progress determining the overall pace of negotiations.