Hungary blocks two negotiating clusters on Ukraine’s EU accession

Hungary’s decision to block a number of negotiating clusters on Ukraine’s EU accession is not related to Kyiv’s technical readiness — the real reason lies in bilateral political disputes and Budapest’s broader strategy. This is according to a report by RBC-Ukraine.

According to the European Commission, the results of the screening show that Ukraine is fully ready to enter negotiations on the relevant tracks. Hungary, meanwhile, has publicly raised no objections regarding Kyiv’s technical readiness.

Previously, the entire negotiating process was blocked under Viktor Orbán’s government — at that time Ukraine was unable to open even the first, foundational cluster. After new Prime Minister Péter Magyar came to power, the situation partially shifted. Following technical consultations on the rights of the Hungarian minority, Budapest gave the green light to opening cluster 1, and subsequently yielded on cluster 6 (external relations) as well. This may also have been facilitated by the unblocking of EUR 16.4 billion in frozen EU funds for Hungary, although the parties officially deny this.

Nevertheless, the new Hungarian government is refusing to consent to the opening of clusters 2 and 3. According to analyst Snezhana Dyachenko, the opening of these chapters has become hostage to the complex bilateral relations between the two countries.

“Hungary’s position can be interpreted as Magyar’s attempt to strike a balance between resuming constructive dialogue with Brussels and maintaining the government’s stance against accelerated Ukrainian EU accession,” — explains Snezhana Dyachenko.

The analyst also notes that, despite the new Hungarian government appearing more accommodating toward Ukraine, Magyar cannot be called a pro-Ukrainian politician. Even during the election campaign he spoke out against Ukraine’s swift accession to the European Union. In addition, strong anti-Ukrainian sentiment persists among the population in the country, which the opposition may exploit. By maintaining the veto, the new prime minister is trying to avoid domestic political criticism.

The Financial Times previously reported that Hungary had blocked negotiations on two clusters regarding Ukraine’s EU accession, and that Magyar’s team is demanding that the procedure for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union not be accelerated. In the outlet’s view, Budapest’s recent actions indicate that the Hungarian authorities are unwilling to definitively abandon their previous policy toward Ukraine.