Hungary has blocked the opening of two new negotiation clusters on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
According to the publication, Budapest has blocked the opening of the second and third negotiation clusters, which concern Ukraine’s integration into the EU single market, as well as the alignment of economic and social policies.
It is noted that in each of the six negotiation clusters, the parties determine how the candidate country will align its legislation with EU standards. The decision to begin negotiations on each cluster is taken unanimously.
It is noted that “political efforts” will be required with regard to Hungary to move the process forward. Furthermore, the country’s authorities are opposed to Kyiv’s accelerated accession to the Union. A Hungarian spokesperson told the FT that Ukraine should not be treated more favourably than the candidate countries in the Balkans.
The EU accession negotiation process is divided into 33 sections (chapters), grouped into six clusters. These include the fundamentals, the internal market, competitiveness and inclusive growth, the green agenda and sustainable development, resources, agriculture and cohesion, as well as external relations.
In mid-June, EU member states approved the opening of the first cluster of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
