Georgy Tikhiy, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, announced at a briefing that an intergovernmental commission between Ukraine and Hungary will begin its work in November to address, among other things, Budapest's blockage of the final two negotiation clusters within the framework of Ukraine's EU accession process. According to the MFA representative, the exact date of the meeting will be announced additionally, and a working group is already preparing for the meeting.
Broad Agenda: From Economy to Minority Rights
Tikhiy stressed that the agenda of the joint Ukrainian-Hungarian commission will be quite broad and will cover not only the European integration theme, but also economic cooperation and the protection of national minorities' rights. «This Ukrainian-Hungarian agenda will be discussed there,» the spokesperson specified, adding that for Ukraine, launching this format of dialogue is a positive signal of normalizing relations and moving forward. At the end of the briefing, Tikhiy thanked the Hungarian partners for their constructive approach and readiness to continue the work.
Context: Unblocking Clusters and Expecting Six Packages by Year's End
Previously, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Kyiv expects to open all six negotiation clusters within the EU accession process by the end of the current year. According to him, political obstacles to this no longer exist, particularly after the settlement of relations with Hungary. In addition, Ukraine has received the opportunity to conduct negotiations in two more clusters — «Internal Market and Competitiveness» and «Inclusive Growth».
Chronology: From Blocking to the «Green Light»
A key milestone in unblocking the process was Budapest's decision on October 7, when Hungary gave the «green light» to negotiations in two more clusters for Ukraine's EU accession. This decision became possible against the backdrop of an overall improvement in bilateral relations between the two countries, which, according to the Ukrainian side, allows for the removal of the final political barrier on the path to fully opening the negotiation process. The intergovernmental commission scheduled for November is set to solidify the achieved progress and determine further steps for completing the remaining clusters.
Significance for Ukraine's European Integration Track
The launch of the intergovernmental commission in the Ukraine-Hungary format is viewed in Kyiv as an institutional mechanism that allows not only for removing remaining blockages, but also for building a sustainable communication channel on a wide range of bilateral issues. For the EU accession process, this means moving from political settlement to practical work on the substance of each cluster, which, according to Kyiv's plan, should allow completing the entire six-packet negotiation program within the established timeframe.
