At the European Union summit in Brussels, 26 of the 27 member states expressed clear support for the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. The only exception was again Hungary, which blocked the adoption of a joint statement.
This was reported by “European Pravda”.
Despite Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s veto, other EU countries decided to continue the practice of making political decisions in a ‘European Union without Hungary’ format. The European Council noted that all 26 states supported the position on Ukraine.
The approved statement says that the EU confirms ‘Ukraine’s inalienable right to determine its own destiny’ and ‘its unwavering support for Ukraine’s European integration course.’ Leaders highly appreciated the progress of reforms in Kyiv and recognised ‘significant progress’ in preparations for accession.
Member states also called on the European Commission and Ukraine to ‘step up work’ on membership negotiations. In particular, the 26 countries agreed to take into account the EC’s conclusion on Ukraine’s readiness to open the ‘Fundamentals of the Accession Process’ negotiation cluster.
However, the unanimous consent of all 27 member states is required for the official opening of this cluster, so Budapest’s position remains a key obstacle.
As previously reported, Hungary has repeatedly stated its intention to block Ukraine’s further progress towards EU membership.