European Council President Costa Seeks to Unblock Ukraine’s EU Accession Despite Hungary’s Veto

European Council President António Costa is pushing to advance Ukraine’s EU membership bid despite Hungary’s veto ahead of this week’s summit in Copenhagen, Politico reported on September 29.

Existing rules require all 27 member states to approve each stage of accession, but Costa is exploring ways to open key negotiating clusters with a qualified majority, bypassing the need for unanimous consent while still requiring full agreement to close each cluster.

The move aims to unblock both Ukraine and Moldova, which are paired in the accession process, allowing them to implement reforms and demonstrate progress toward EU standards even if one or two EU member countries oppose. Costa has lobbied EU capitals directly during a “tour des capitales” and through bilateral talks at the UN General Assembly in New York, stressing enlargement as a major geopolitical investment for the EU.

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EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos arrived in Ukraine today to mark the completion of the country’s legislative screening for EU accession.

“All clusters have been screened, in record time. Ukraine has delivered. Ukraine is ready for the next step. It’s now up to member states to give the green light,” she said, emphasizing the need to maintain momentum on EU accession reforms.

Previously, it was reported that Denmark was actively working on mechanisms to advance Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations despite Hungary’s ongoing obstruction of opening negotiation clusters, Minister for European Affairs of Denmark, Marie Bjerre, said during a European Council meeting in Brussels.

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