PM Orbán’s surprising decision about Ukraine’s EU accession explained
Hungary did not take part in the vote on starting Ukraine’s EU accession process, the prime minister’s policy director said in Brussels on Thursday, since it did not consider the country to be ready to start talks.
“Hungary’s position is clear,” Balázs Orbán told Hungarian journalists during the European Union summit, noting that it did not consider Ukraine to be ready, and this is why it “suggested that negotiations should not begin”.
But 26 EU member states “thought differently”, he said.
“So after the talks, Hungary decided to leave the room and did not take part in the vote. Hence, Hungary did not prevent the decision from being taken, but it won’t take responsibility for this erroneous decision,” he said.
The PM’s policy director said a unanimous decision was needed for specific negotiations to go ahead, and as this decision had not come about, it would be postponed.
He said the European Council had made a decision in principle, but member states must thereafter give unanimous consent. This, he said, also applied to concrete negotiation packages, and in the following years, Ukraine’s accession must be supported at least 70 times through unanimous decision-making.
“We still do not agree with starting negotiations, so we’ll continue to maintain the Hungarian position,” he added.
Read also:
- Transcarpathian Hungarians ask PM Orbán to stop obstructing Ukraine in open letter – Read more HERE
- PM Orbán: Hungary not to yield to any pressure on Ukraine accession
Orbán: Ukraine’s EU membership ‘bad decision’
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the European Union membership “is a bad decision which Hungary wants no part in”, in a video published on Facebook on Thursday. In the video recorded in the break of the EU summit in Brussels, Orbán said Hungary’s stance was that Ukraine was not ready to start accession talks with the EU.
“The decision to start talks with Ukraine in these circumstances is senseless, irrational and wrong, and Hungary will not change its stance,” he said. At the same time, “the other 26 states insisted on making that decision. Hungary decided that … they should go their own way,” he said. Hungary stayed away from the decision-making, he said. The talks will resume with amendments of the budget, he added.
26 Member States are wrong, our Politicians are right. Elegant solution, though.
Let´s see how motivated Ukraine (and the other Candidate countries) are to evolve to meet all the various criteria to become Members of the European Union (however flawed our Politicians insist it is – which begs the question: why are all these countries so keen to join???)
The decision will move at snail’s pace. A new parliament will be elected next year. Other countries such as Greece and Austria are also against Ukraine’s entry but were afraid to voice their opinion. It is time for other countries to step up to the plate. It is time for other presidents/prime ministers to show some backbone.
On the second though, this may be a brilliant decision. Other European countries will start to dig deeper and deeper and will come to realize that Prime Minister Orban was right all along.
Funny how Orban wants the Balkans to be in EU but refuses to support Ukraine because he’s the Russian spy in the EU…
Maria, now you speak for Greece and Austria? Have you ever even been to Europe? Victor will not take responsibility for this decision, will he take responsibility for our failing health care system, our failing education system, or highest in Europe inflation, our highest in Europe food prices, our lowest in Europe happiness index?
Yes, I have been to Europe, have done the grand tour several times. I am totally familiar with the history and political system of all EU countries. Yes, I do live in North America. I am also totally familiar with North American history and political system. Therefore, my opinions are based on great deal of empirical data.
There was an article on Euronews that Hungarian utilization of the health system is the second most frequent. While in North America, a patient may see a physician 3 or 4 times a year, Hungary’s data showed 10 plus individual visits. This is an expensive luxury.
In Canada, people wait 3+ month to see a specialist. An appointment with a neurosurgeon may take up to 8 months. Most people carry private insurance that covers optometrist, chiropractors, drugs, etc.. The extra insurance is quite expensive.
The US patients, with private insurance from work, have the best care. If a person leaves that employment, the insurance coverage stops. If the person has or had a long-term disease good luck finding an insurance company that will cover you or affordable cost. Most Hungarians without long term disease would have a hard time to afford the US insurance premium payments.
The UK’s National Health Care is in no better shape. If people use private health care, only then they have excellent care.
No health care system is perfect. A large percentage of GDP is already spent on health care.
So, compared to other countries, Hungarians are not that badly off. If patients used the healthcare as often as Hungarians in North America, patients would be dropped by individual insurance companies or charged for over utilization.