Hungary has once again blocked progress on Ukraine’s EU accession talks, preventing the approval of screening results needed to open two key negotiating clusters. Budapest says Kyiv must first take further steps to guarantee the rights of Ukraine’s Hungarian minority.

Hungary blocks two more accession clusters

Hungary has again prevented the European Union from moving forward with the next stage of Ukraine’s accession negotiations.

The EU’s Working Party on Enlargement (COELA) failed on 8 September to approve the screening results for Ukraine’s negotiating clusters 2 and 3, with Hungary maintaining its opposition to opening the two areas, according to EU sources cited by Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda.

European diplomats reportedly made another attempt to persuade Budapest to change its position, but Hungary did not back down.

“Member states have not changed their positions. Hungary does not agree to move forward with the opening of clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine,” a source told the Ukrainian outlet.

EU accession negotiations are divided into clusters, grouping together related areas of EU law and policy.

Cluster 2 covers the internal market, including areas such as the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. Cluster 3 focuses on competitiveness and inclusive growth, covering areas such as digital transformation, taxation, economic and monetary policy, and social policy.

Budapest links progress to minority rights

The latest blockade follows a similar decision last week, when Hungary again refused to approve the screening results required to open the two clusters. The Hungarian government has said it will not support further progress in Ukraine’s accession process until Kyiv takes the necessary steps to fulfil its bilateral commitments concerning national minority rights.

The issue is particularly sensitive for Budapest because of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, in western Ukraine. Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said on Monday that progress had nevertheless been made in negotiations over the rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians.

According to the minister, minority-rights consultations resumed on 20 May, and Ukraine has undertaken to incorporate the rights agreed during bilateral talks into legislation. She pointed to a decision by the Ukrainian government to preserve the network of small educational institutions and continue providing them with state funding from 1 September as the first tangible result.

Orbán also said the EU had, at Hungary’s initiative, recorded that Ukraine’s minority action plan should be brought into line with the outcome of the Hungarian-Ukrainian negotiations. “Now it is time for implementation; both sides are working on this,” she wrote.

If you missed it: FM Anita Orbán reports progress on minority rights for Hungarians in Ukraine

Hungary’s position has changed under Péter Magyar

The latest developments mark a somewhat different approach from that of former prime minister Viktor Orbán. Orbán strongly opposed Ukraine’s EU membership and repeatedly cited concerns over the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine. His government blocked progress on the opening of the first negotiating cluster for years.

Under Prime Minister Péter Magyar, however, Budapest has sought a different approach, reaching what Magyar described as a “historic agreement” with Ukraine in June. The agreement is intended to formally guarantee the Transcarpathian Hungarian community’s educational, cultural, linguistic and political rights.

However, Hungary has continued to use its position in the EU accession process to push for the implementation of those commitments. In July, Budapest agreed to allow the EU to send an official letter to Ukraine and Moldova concerning the launch of the procedure for opening cluster 6, but it maintained its blocking position on the remaining four clusters.

Moldova caught up in the dispute

The issue is also affecting Moldova’s accession process. Hungary had indicated that it was prepared to approve the screening results for Moldova’s cluster 3, but other EU member states have so far opposed treating Moldova and Ukraine separately in the accession process. As a result, progress on Moldova’s cluster has also become entangled with the dispute.