Good morning,
“No way,” Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán starkly told the press at the doorstep of the informal EU summit in Copenhagen, when asked about the proposal by European Council president António Costa to change from unanimity to qualified majority for opening chapters in the EU enlargement process.
“There is a legal, strictly-settled procedure for how to do it. We have to stick to that. It means unanimous decision,” Orbán said.
For years, Hungary actually positioned itself as a defender of the EU’s enlargement talks, particularly regarding the Western Balkans. This partly explains why, during the first term of Ursula von der Leyen, Hungarian commissioner Olivér Várhelyi was given the enlargement portfolio. However, Orbán has rejected any possibility of Ukraine joining the EU, arguing that it could drag the bloc into war and economic recession.
Despite the EU having found ways to bypass Orbán’s vetoes in the past (remember the bathroom break?), the Hungarian nationalist — who is facing his own election next year — is effectively protecting Hungary’s veto power over any acceleration of Ukraine’s accession.
Beyond the legal argument, Orbán also justifies his opposition by his domestic (non-binding) referendum on the issue — whose legitimacy remains politically questionable.
“The Hungarians would not like to belong to the same integration format, even a military one like Nato, [or] a political economic one like European Union, with the Ukrainians,” he said. “Ukraine is a heroic country. We have to support them. No question of that. The question is the form how we do that. Membership is too much.”
Prospects for advancing Ukraine’s EU accession remain stalled due to Orbán, but many expect (and hope) the situation could change if his government is voted out in the upcoming election. Current polls show Hungary’s opposition Tisza party leading, with 45 percent compared to 37 percent for the ruling Fidesz party, suggesting the possibility of a final end to 15 years of Orbán’s rule.
- Elena Sánchez Nicolás, editor-in-chief
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