The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) supports Ukraine’s aspiration to become a European Union member state and is initiating a national referendum on the subject, the party’s MEP said on Tuesday.

Klára Dobrev told an online press conference that the question DK proposed for the referendum is: “Do you support Ukraine becoming a member of the European Union if it fulfils all accession requirements?” She added that the party has submitted its request to the National Election Committee.

She said DK would collect the necessary signatures and campaign for a “yes” vote if the referendum bid was approved.

Dobrev also said that the Hungarian right wing was using the issue of Ukraine’s accession for domestic political purposes, and they were not genuinely interested in people’s opinion.

As we wrote about Ukraine’s EU referendum in Hungary a week ago, why is Orbán’s costly push worth it?

Government: Speedy Ukrainian accession against Hungary’s position

Hungary will not support the closing declaration of the upcoming EU summit on Ukraine as it calls for Ukraine’s accession process to be speeded up, the EU affairs minister said ahead of a meeting of EU counterparts in Brussels on Tuesday.

Bóka said the declaration was contrary to Hungary’s position and the national interest in several strategic respects. One reason is that Europe’s competitiveness would not be helped by the Ukrainian economy in its current state, he said.

The country’s reconstruction and operations as well as army financing would weigh down EU budgets “with unforeseeable costs”, Boka added.

Meanwhile, the minister said that Hungary welcomed the strong focus on competitiveness at the European Council meeting, especially regarding the future of European car manufacturing which, he added, was key to competitive European industry.

Bóka said Hungary wanted a review of EU regulations that push up energy prices, and these included sanctions, mandatory gas storage, and carbon dioxide quotas.

Regarding EU legislative priorities for the 2025-2029 period, he said Hungary could not support them largely because of a plan to further expand and strengthen rule-of-law conditionality, “a tool of political and ideological pressure”.

Neither do the priorities reflect those of Hungary, he said, lamenting the implementation of the migration pact in place of “innovative solutions” to migration. “We find this unacceptable,” he said.

The relevant EU document also failed to address the transparency of the financing of European civil society organisations, he said, adding that the rule of law and integrity should be at the forefront of EU institutions, and “the latest scandal in the European Parliament” sharply highlighted this issue.

Minister Bóka: Public opinion poll to determine Hungary’s position on Ukraine’s EU membership

The results of a public opinion poll will determine the Hungarian government’s position regarding the European Union accession of Ukraine, the minister in charge of EU affairs said on Tuesday.

Bóka told the Hungarian press after a ministerial meeting that the European Council’s draft resolution about the Ukraine situation differed in its current form from what the Hungarian government could support under the current circumstances. He said it was problematic that the text referred to speeding up Ukraine’s accession process.

The public opinion poll initiated by the Hungarian government “is especially justified in the light of efforts to speed up the accession process” of Ukraine, the minister added.