Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka stated in an interview in Brussels that Ukraine’s application to join the European Union is expected to make a breakthrough by the end of this year. He anticipates that the newly proposed “innovative solutions” will overcome Hungary’s opposition.
As political tensions rise, Kachka mentioned that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is facing increasing pressure to withdraw his veto right, and EU leaders may approve the opening of six negotiation “clusters” in December, allowing Ukraine’s application to enter an essential legal process of the EU.
“We can complete all the preparatory work for the restart of all negotiation clusters, and if there is political momentum at that time, all clusters can be initiated in synchronization by the end of this year at the latest,” Kachka added, “Hungary’s position has less and less valid reasons to support it.”
After introducing Ukraine’s internal reform situation to representatives of EU member states, Kachka expressed that Hungary’s “strong” opposition to Ukraine’s accession is not insurmountable, and he believes that European leaders may find a solution at the December summit.
Kachka further mentioned that a face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian President Zelensky and Orban could help break the deadlock, but he could not disclose when and where the meeting will take place.
Hungary stands as a major obstacle to Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Orban is expected to oppose Ukraine’s EU accession as part of his reelection campaign for next year, claiming that Ukraine’s membership could destabilize the EU.
On the other hand, some EU countries hold reservations about Ukraine’s accession due to economic or other considerations. Poland is concerned about a large influx of cheap Ukrainian agricultural products entering the market and opposes Ukraine joining the EU, but this concern is not exclusive to Poland.
In July of this year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also stated that he believes Ukraine may not join the EU until at least 2034.
European Council President Antonio Costa recently proposed the initiative of “streamlining the EU accession process” at an informal leaders’ meeting in Copenhagen to eliminate obstacles to Ukraine’s EU accession but was rejected.
However, member states supporting EU expansion subsequently proposed new solutions to overcome Hungary’s opposition and the doubts of countries like Bulgaria and Greece.
Currently, Brussels is studying new proposal provisions, including that new EU members will no longer have veto power over the entire EU policy decision-making, making them secondary members within the EU. This move aims to alleviate concerns about new members hijacking the EU agenda, and it is expected that these new members may include Ukraine, Moldova, and Montenegro.
Kachka did not offer specific comments on the new proposal but acknowledged the benefits of this “innovative solution.”
After receiving political approval from the EU in 2023, Ukraine began pushing for accession negotiations and has been in talks for several months. Without formal legal approval from all 27 member states, the accession process cannot be officially initiated.
(Translated from a report by POLITICO)