Hungary agrees to opening of negotiating clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine

Hungary has agreed to allow Ukraine to move forward in its EU accession negotiations, clearing the way for the opening of Clusters 2 (Internal Market) and 3 (Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth).

Source: European Pravda, citing an EU source familiar with the negotiations

Details: Budapest has lifted the block that until now had prevented Ukraine from moving to the next stage in the procedure for opening negotiating clusters 2 and 3.

"COELA [the Working Party on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession to the EU] has approved the screening results for Clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine, and today at Coreper, the EU member states' ambassadors agreed to send letters to the governments of Ukraine and Moldova inviting them to present their negotiating positions," the European Pravda source said.

The source said the next procedural steps could be completed very quickly.

The EU's draft negotiating position on both clusters is due to be drawn up at a COELA meeting in the coming days.

EU member states are expected to be able to agree on the negotiating position for opening the clusters as early as Monday 12 October, after the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) adopts legislative amendments on education in national minority languages.

Once the EU negotiating position has been approved, a Ukraine-EU intergovernmental conference could be held the following day, 13 October, and Clusters 2 and 3 could be formally opened.

Hungary had blocked approval of the screening results for these clusters for several months, preventing Ukraine from moving on to the next procedural stages required for them to be opened.

Background:

• A bill on education in national minority languages was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on 1 October. Its adoption was expected to help lift Hungary's veto, which had blocked progress on the two negotiating clusters.
• On 6 October, the European Commission adopted a package of proposals on pre-enlargement policy reviews, which are intended to enable the EU to admit new members, including Ukraine.
• European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos outlined five groups of measures proposed by the European Commission for future EU enlargement: greater use of qualified-majority voting and limits on vetoes in certain areas; closer integration of candidate countries into parts of the EU before membership; safeguards to prevent new members from backsliding on the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights; adjustments to EU policies to accommodate enlargement, including targeted measures for sensitive Ukrainian agricultural products; and roadmaps for the four most advanced candidate countries.

Read more: Hungary lifts its veto: what the deal means for Ukraine's EU accession

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon to help us keep reporting!