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EU Finds Workaround for Hungary’s Veto, Moving Ukraine Closer to EU Membership
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![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
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At an informal meeting of the EU General Affairs Council, a new format for technical negotiations with Ukraine was announced, bypassing the Hungarian veto. This announcement was made by Danish Minister for EU Affairs, Marri Bjerre, and EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, European Pravda reported on December 11.
Bjerre expressed disappointment that Hungary’s government had not lifted its blockade, forcing other European nations to find workarounds. Despite the inability to officially open Cluster 1 of the negotiations, she highlighted the success of agreeing on a technical process known as “frontloading,” which allows continued progress on Ukraine’s EU accession.
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The new approach ensures that Ukraine’s reform process can proceed without the risk of a veto from Hungary. Kos confirmed that the EU and Ukraine have moved to a technical process, with a clear roadmap for reforms that no member state can veto. However, Bjerre clarified that unanimity is still required for the official closure of negotiation chapters, which remains a hurdle, according to European Pravda.
Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Taras Kachka, expressed satisfaction with the EU’s decision, which allows Ukraine to continue moving towards EU membership despite the Hungarian veto. He emphasized that the agreement keeps the enlargement process moving at the same pace, supported by 26 EU member states.
“There is firm agreement among 26 member states, which are loudly declaring their support for the opening of the cluster. Therefore, we have successfully agreed on ‘frontloading’ as a technical but legally sound approach to ensuring that the European Commission and Ukraine are informed of the member states' position on the modalities of the negotiations,” he said.
This technical process was launched for Clusters 1, 2, and 6 of the negotiations, with the hope of fully opening all six clusters once political momentum for further progress is achieved. Cyprus, the next EU presidency, is expected to continue this process.
Previously, it was reported that The European Union was preparing to fast-track legislation that would permanently freeze €210 billion in Russian assets, a move designed to neutralize a threatened veto from Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, at next week’s EU summit, the Financial Times reported.
Officials familiar with the plan told the newspaper that the rapid push to adopt the measure—using emergency powers to override national objections—aims to protect Brussels’ leverage in Ukraine peace negotiations led by the United States.
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