New obstacle on EU path: Budapest opposes fast-track talks with Ukraine
Official Budapest finds another formal reason to slow down Kyiv’s European integration, raising concerns over how Ukraine’s progress impacts other candidate states.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar / © Associated Press / © Associated Press
According to European Pravda, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar publicly voiced doubts about the possibility of urgently opening the remaining negotiation clusters with Kyiv ahead of a European Council meeting in Brussels.
Hungary’s stance and divisions within the EU
Peter Magyar stressed that while his country is entirely satisfied with the EU Council’s decision to successfully open the first cluster with Ukraine, he views the immediate launch of negotiations across all other tracks as highly controversial. The Hungarian head of government said that several other European nations share similar concerns.
«There are those in the EU who want to open all clusters immediately. There are those who want to open only two clusters. And I remind you that we have just opened the first cluster, and the ink is not yet dry,» he stated.
Procedural motives and a signal to the Balkans
The Hungarian Prime Minister expressed strong conviction that rushing the negotiation process with Kyiv «would send a very bad signal to the Western Balkan nations.» Currently, among the Balkan states, only Serbia has yet to open all negotiation chapters for its EU accession.
The politician refrained from setting any specific conditions for Ukraine, attributing his skepticism strictly to procedural motives. He did not disclose how Hungary would vote, focusing solely on the pace of European decision-making.