{"id":74320,"date":"2025-06-18T11:17:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T09:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/wie-ungarn-den-beitritt-der-ukraine-in-die-europaeische-union-blockiert-2\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T17:29:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T16:29:22","slug":"hungarys-veto-and-the-future-of-ukraines-eu-accession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/en\/hungarys-veto-and-the-future-of-ukraines-eu-accession\/","title":{"rendered":"Hungary\u2019s Veto and the Future of Ukraine\u2019s EU Accession"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Despite the war, Ukraine is moving toward European Union membership at an unprece\u00addented pace. For its accession to succeed, it needs decisive support from the EU \u2013 and a solution to circumvent the ongoing blockades imposed by Viktor Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Hungary, Sergiy Solodkyy argues in his policy brief.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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Ukraine on its path toward EU membership<\/h2>\n

The European Union is entering a new and serious stage in its enlargement crisis. Ukraine has breathed new life into the EU, motivating it to overcome the enlargement fatigue that followed earlier accession rounds. Yet the actions of a single member state seem to have rendered the Union unable to seize this oppor\u00adtunity, thus jeopar\u00addising the EU\u2019s broader strategic objectives.<\/p>\n

Since submitting its appli\u00adcation for membership in February 2022, Ukraine has demon\u00adstrated an unprece\u00addented level of deter\u00admi\u00adnation in advancing towards EU accession. Despite the full-scale war, the country has been imple\u00admenting reforms, meeting oblig\u00ada\u00adtions, and conducting accession negoti\u00ada\u00adtions at a pace that outstrips that of any previous candidate country.<\/p>\n

One of Ukraine\u2019s key integration goals for 2025 is to enter into parallel negoti\u00ada\u00adtions in all clusters. At present, Ukraine is urging its European partners to take the proce\u00addural steps necessary to open Cluster 1 (i.e. Funda\u00admentals) in the near term. The European Commission has acknowl\u00adedged both Ukraine\u2019s substantial progress and the legit\u00adimacy of its expectations.<\/p>\n

Hungary blocks EU accession talks<\/h2>\n

Paradox\u00adi\u00adcally, the main obstacle facing Ukraine is no longer a lack of readiness on its part but rather political inertia on the EU side. This is engen\u00addered by Hungary\u2019s unilateral blockade of key steps in the negoti\u00adation process. Thus, in addition to grappling with Russian aggression and internal anti-reform forces, Ukraine must now also deal with the injustice of EU proce\u00addures that allow a single member state to stall the entire process.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian civil society, working closely with national insti\u00adtu\u00adtions and EU partners, has played a pivotal role in ensuring reform trans\u00adparency and account\u00adability thus far. However, unjus\u00adtified delays in negoti\u00ada\u00adtions threaten to erode trust in the EU within Ukrainian society, fuel pro-Russian narra\u00adtives and undermine the credi\u00adbility of the enlargement agenda as a whole.<\/p>\n

This moment calls for a reassessment of EU proce\u00addures, partic\u00adu\u00adlarly with regard to the need to minimize oppor\u00adtu\u00adnities for individual member states to abuse their veto powers during technical phases in the accession process. The merit-based approach must remain the corner\u00adstone of enlargement policy. Moreover, it may also be time for the EU to seriously consider invoking Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union.<\/p>\n

Can the EU keep up with Ukraine\u2019s exemplary speed?<\/h2>\n

When Ukraine submitted its appli\u00adcation for EU membership in late February 2022, few took this truly historic step seriously. A country under\u00adgoing a massive attack from an aggressive Russia was not expected to have any realistic prospect of joining the European Union. However, subse\u00adquent events have shown that Ukraine is capable of changing the course of history and overturning old assump\u00adtions. It has withstood Russia\u2019s military onslaught and success\u00adfully challenged the stubborn enlargement fatigue that had set in in the EU.<\/p>\n

In June 2022, Ukraine was granted EU candidate status, and in December 2023, EU leaders agreed to open accession negoti\u00ada\u00adtions. One year ago, the EU officially launched accession talks with Ukraine, and Ukrainians quickly got to work meeting oblig\u00ada\u00adtions and completing the proce\u00addures associated with the next stage of the accession process, in hopes of bringing membership closer.<\/p>\n

Ukraine continues to demon\u00adstrate a high level of commitment to its European goal. The Ukrainian government, parliament, and civil society have been rapidly building up their expertise, preparing extensive documen\u00adtation, and have pledged to implement all oblig\u00ada\u00adtions with the same levels of deter\u00admi\u00adnation and quality. Ukrainian policy\u00admakers under\u00adstand the signif\u00adi\u00adcance of the moment and have declared their readiness to meet all require\u00adments not just on time but at an even faster pace than other candidate states did during previous rounds of EU enlargement. The key question remaining is whether the EU is prepared to respond appro\u00adpri\u00adately: not only by matching the swift pace of Ukraine\u2019s decision-making but also by demon\u00adstrating the strategic resolve to welcome the country as a member in the near future<\/strong>. Ukrainian officials have publicly voiced the expec\u00adtation that Ukraine will achieve full EU membership by 2030.<\/p>\n

Talks on four negoti\u00adating packages concluded<\/h2>\n

To this end, the Ukrainian Government is inten\u00adsively studying and adopting best practices for negoti\u00ada\u00adtions and for the effective, swift imple\u00admen\u00adtation of EU require\u00adments. The Government reports that bilateral screening meetings have already been completed in four of the six negoti\u00adation clusters:[1]<\/a><\/p>\n