EU agrees to launch Ukraine-Moldova accession negotiations
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviredenko announced that all EU countries have agreed to launch the first set of accession negotiations with both Ukraine and Moldova, stressing that her country is taking a decisive step closer to obtaining full membership of the bloc, after ending the stalemate that has surrounded the file for two consecutive years.
This pivotal step came on Wednesday evening during a meeting of ambassadors of member states in Brussels, after Hungary's envoy officially withdrew his country's objections, allowing the 27 countries to launch the negotiation process unanimously.
The Republic of Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, described the move as an important milestone on the path to integration and sends a strong message about the Union's solidarity.
Hungary-Ukraine deal ends historic crisis
Hungary's new Prime Minister Peter Magyar confirmed that Budapest and Kyiv have reached a comprehensive "historic agreement" aimed at expanding the linguistic, educational, cultural and political rights of the Hungarian minority, which numbers about 100,000 people in the region of Transcarpathia (Zakarpatia) in western Ukraine, explaining that Hungary will support the start of formal talks provided that these commitments are included in the action plan and operational frameworks that Ukraine presents to Brussels.
According to European sources, the sudden change in Hungary's position revealed the repercussions of the internal political transformation in Budapest, as the concession became possible only after the electoral defeat suffered by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has led the Stop Front for years, to Peter Maggiar, who vowed to rebuild relations with neighboring Ukraine and resolve outstanding files with the European Commission, which was publicly welcomed by European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Koss.
Map of Negotiation Chapters and Refusal to Accelerate
European diplomatic sources indicated that the termination of the Hungarian veto opens the way for Ukraine and Moldova to formally initiate the opening of the first sets of negotiation chapters, known as the "Basics";
The accession process is fully based on 33 negotiation chapters distributed over six main axes, and the "basics" axis is the most important as it covers the files of the rule of law, human rights, and the independence of the judiciary, which is the axis with which the accession process opens and concludes.
In addition, the Hungarian Prime Minister made it clear that, despite his veto, he does not support the speedy proceeding of the membership procedures, stressing the need for the process to proceed in accordance with the strict standards and regulations of the bloc without violating the organizational framework.
Magyar said that if Kyiv completes the closure of the 33 chapters within a period of 10 to 15 years, his country will organize a legally binding popular referendum to decide on the final accession decision.
A complicated path under the shadow of war
The European sources explained that this legislative breakthrough comes after Ukraine was granted the status of a "candidate state" in 2022 in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, followed by the Union's decision in late 2023 to open negotiations.
Although the talks were symbolically launched in June 2024, the transition to the practical stages and the actual start of negotiations remained stalled by the unanimity requirement, giving the previous Orbán government the ability to use the Hungarian minority card to disrupt the rapprochement between Kyiv and the European system and NATO.
With the Hungarian veto now gone, officials and diplomats in Brussels are likely to hold the intergovernmental conference – which marks the actual official opening of the first axis of negotiations – on June 15 or 16 in Luxembourg, under the procedural steps in place at the Council of the European Union.