A significant shift has been recorded in the negotiations for Ukraine's accession to the European Union following a prolonged period of blocking by Hungary. Budapest has agreed to initiate the procedure for opening one of the five previously frozen negotiation areas.
Hungary initiates the procedure
According to received information, Hungarian authorities have decided to send official letters to Kyiv and Chisinau. This documentary step is necessary to launch work on the sixth negotiation area. This block covers critically important spheres: common foreign and security policy, trade policy, and relations with third countries.
Previously, at the end of June, Hungary blocked five areas of negotiations, refusing to send the necessary letters to move to the next stages. Sending the letter is only the first step in a lengthy bureaucratic procedure, not the final opening of the block for discussion.
Deadlines and current status
Assuming no new delays at subsequent stages, the official opening of the sixth negotiation area is scheduled for July 14. The decision must be approved at a meeting of the ministers of European affairs of the European Union countries.
Despite this compromise, the situation remains tense: Budapest still refuses to start procedures for the other four blocked areas. In this regard, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call to open all negotiation blocks by July will likely not be fulfilled in full. Currently, only one area remains formally open — fundamental values, including the rule of law and basic human rights.
Partners' position and the role of Poland
There is currently no consensus in Brussels regarding the simultaneous acceleration of the process. The majority of EU member states, including Poland, advocate for a gradual and phased approach to negotiations. The Office of the President of Ukraine clarified that Kyiv has no grounds to believe that Warsaw might use its veto right to block integration. On the contrary, Polish diplomats understand the benefits of opening new clusters.
The Ukrainian side has confirmed the fulfillment of all necessary conditions for the successful opening of the blocks. Official Kyiv calls on partners to rely not on political emotions, but on clear internal rules of the Union. Previously, the President of Finland gave a positive forecast regarding the EU enlargement timeline, assessing the chances of Ukraine and Moldova.
