Hungary’s PM Magyar blocks the clause on Ukraine's fast-track accession to the EU
Hungary’s Prime Minister Peter Magyar said that it was on his initiative that a clause referring to Ukraine’s fast-track accession to the EU was removed from the European Council summit declaration.
“In the closing document of the heads of state and government summit, regarding Ukraine, only the text that had been adopted by consensus years ago was included. During the several weeks of drafting, the declaration was significantly refined based on a Hungarian proposal. Additionally, regarding Ukraine's EU accession process, at my initiative, a clause referring to accelerating accession was removed from the text at the very last moment. It wasn't easy,” Magyar wrote on X.
However, the final document of the European Council confirms support for Ukraine, condemns the escalation by the Russian Federation, and emphasizes that the EU is ready to join security guarantees for Ukraine together with the United States.
Ukraine's accession to the EU
Earlier, on June 15, all 27 EU member states agreed to open the first cluster of negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the bloc. Prior to this, former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked any steps forward on Ukraine's European integration, but after 16 years in power, he lost in the parliamentary elections.
The new government signalled a more measured approach, although it has not openly supported Ukraine's membership. Magyar explained that Budapest agreed to open the first negotiating cluster for Ukraine, as Kyiv had officially included an agreement on the rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians in its introductory action plan on minorities.
However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said that the negotiation process regarding Ukraine's accession to the European Union could be automatically suspended if Kyiv fails to implement the agreements on the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia.
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