The European Union scaled back its ambitions for Ukraine’s accession talks, now aiming to open just two negotiation clusters in July instead of five.
The revised timetable targets Cluster 6 (external relations) and Cluster 2 (internal market) before the summer break, diplomats said, citing resistance from Hungary.
Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who came to power after April elections, earlier lifted a long-standing veto on the first cluster. But he has since refused to sign the letters needed to unblock all remaining clusters, insisting the process cannot be accelerated.
“We removed a lot from the text to avoid any explicit suggestion that now that the first cluster has been opened, all the others will suddenly be opened as well,” Magyar told reporters after an EU summit. “It sends the wrong message to the Western Balkan countries.”
The impasse forced Brussels to dramatically lower its goals. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos had set July as a deadline to open all clusters, saying “everything is ready.” But EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke only of opening “more clusters before the summer.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy maintained Kyiv’s readiness to move on all five remaining clusters “in the coming weeks.”
If member states reach unanimity, the next cluster could open on July 14 at a ministers’ meeting in Brussels. However, Magyar indicated Hungary intends to hold a referendum on Ukraine’s membership, suggesting the process could take 10 to 15 years.