Ukraine’s Accession to the EU: Budapest Has Blocked the Fast-Track Scenario
19 June 10:14
Hungary succeeded in having the wording regarding the acceleration of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union removed from the European Council summit’s final document. The country’s Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, announced this in a post on X, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
At the same time, Hungary did not block Ukraine’s accession process itself. The European Council’s final document retains a provision supporting the opening of other negotiation chapters in line with the progress made by Ukraine.
What exactly was changed in the document
The draft conclusions of the European Council summit contained wording stating that the EU expects other negotiation clusters for Ukraine to be opened “as soon as possible.”
However, in the final version, the words “as soon as possible” were removed.
The final document states that European leaders support the opening of other clusters in line with an approach based on the candidate country’s achievements.
Thus, the EU confirmed Ukraine’s continued progress toward membership but did not commit to accelerating the process.
Mágyar mentioned four hours of negotiations
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated that the clause on accelerating Ukraine’s accession was removed at his initiative.
“The clause on accelerating accession was removed from the text at the last minute at my initiative. It wasn’t easy,” he wrote on social media platform X.
According to the Hungarian prime minister, the discussion lasted about four hours.
Mátyás presented the outcome as a compromise between Budapest’s position and that of other European Union member states.
Did Hungary Block Ukraine’s EU Accession?
Hungary’s decision does not mean a halt to Ukraine’s European integration.
The European Council officially welcomed the holding of the second intergovernmental conference with Ukraine and the opening of negotiations on the first cluster—“Fundamentals.”
EU leaders also expressed their support for opening negotiations on other clusters.
However, the pace of this process is no longer tied to the goal of moving forward as quickly as possible. Further steps will depend on Ukraine’s fulfillment of the established conditions and reforms.
Ukraine Opens First Negotiation Cluster
On June 15, the European Union and Ukraine officially opened negotiations on the “Foundations” cluster.
This cluster covers:
- the rule of law;
- fundamental rights;
- the functioning of democratic institutions;
- public administration reform;
- economic criteria;
- public procurement;
- financial control;
- statistics.
The “Fundamentals” cluster is opened first and closed last. Progress in this area determines the overall pace of membership negotiations.
What Ukraine Demanded
During the summit, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the European Union to ensure a fast-track path to membership for Ukraine.
According to him, Ukraine has paid an extremely high price for the right to be a free, independent, and European state.
Zelenskyy called Ukraine’s swift accession to the EU one of the most important security guarantees for all of Europe.
However, he acknowledged that not all member states support accelerated accession.
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The Position of Hungary’s New Government
Péter Magyar took office as Hungary’s prime minister in May 2026 following Viktor Orbán’s defeat in the parliamentary elections.
The new prime minister has stated his intention to improve relations with the European Union and Ukraine, but opposes a special fast-track accession mechanism.
According to him, the rules must be the same for all candidate countries.
Mátyás also links further support for Ukraine to the implementation of agreements regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia.
Earlier, Hungary supported the opening of the first negotiation cluster after reaching agreements with Kyiv on the linguistic, cultural, and educational rights of Hungarians.
Which negotiation clusters should Ukraine open?
EU accession negotiations are structured into six clusters covering 33 negotiation chapters.
Following the “Fundamentals” cluster, Ukraine is to open clusters concerning:
- the internal market;
- competitiveness and inclusive growth;
- the green agenda and transport connectivity;
- resources, agriculture, and cohesion;
- external relations.
The consent of all EU member states is required to open and close these clusters.
Why the wording on “accelerating” is important
Formally, removing the words “as soon as possible” does not halt the negotiations.
However, politically, it indicates that there is no full consensus among EU members regarding Ukraine’s swift accession.
Without a specific call to accelerate the opening of subsequent clusters, the process may depend on lengthy negotiations, the implementation of reforms, and the political stance of each member state.
At the same time, the summit’s official conclusions confirm that Ukraine’s membership prospects remain intact.
What the European Council Decided
In the final document, EU leaders:
- reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine;
- welcomed the opening of the “Foundations” cluster;
- supported the opening of other clusters;
- emphasized that the process must be based on Ukraine’s achievements;
- did not include any language regarding accelerated accession.
European Council President António Costa stated that Ukraine is moving forward on the path to membership, and all 27 member states remain united in their support for the country.
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