Budapest blocked EU's enlargement statement due to position on Ukraine
Hungary has once again blocked the adoption of the European Union's annual enlargement statement, which assessed Ukraine's progress towards EU membership. DW reports.
According to the publication, the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán did not support positive wording regarding Ukraine's European integration efforts. At the same time, most EU countries confirmed that Kyiv is fulfilling Brussels' demands and demonstrating progress in reforms.
Danish Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre said that "26 member states are demonstrating strong support for Ukraine, and Ukraine itself is fulfilling its obligations." According to her, the wording regarding Ukraine in the draft statement was "fair and proportionate."
German Minister for European Affairs Gunther Krichbaum criticized Budapest's actions, calling them increasingly destructive, and accused Hungary of systematically blocking EU decisions.
Due to the Hungarian veto, Ukraine cannot currently begin formal negotiations on joining the European Union. At the same time, according to Bjerre, informal consultations are ongoing, which give Kyiv clear guidelines for further reforms and the expectations of most member states.
The EU's annual enlargement statement also included assessments of the progress of the Western Balkans, Turkey, Moldova and Georgia. According to the European Commission, the greatest progress is demonstrated by Montenegro, which may complete accession negotiations by the end of 2026.
As a reminder, according to the well-known foreign publication Reuters, the EU believes that Ukraine's accession to the bloc is impossible by 2027. Ukraine has still not officially completed even one of the 36 stages of accession to the EU.
On December 15, Reuters reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Ukraine's readiness to abandon NATO membership in exchange for legally supported security guarantees from the United States, similar to Article 5 of NATO.