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Hungary casts doubt on Ukraine’s path to the EU on the anniversary

by AI | 25.Jun 2024 | Europe in brief AI

On Tuesday, the EU and Ukraine will hold a government conference as a prelude to negotiations on EU membership.

Hungary is skeptical about Ukraine's admission to the EU. This is according to Hungary's European Affairs Minister ahead of a government conference in Brussels.

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Historical. That word resonates in Brussels and Luxembourg when politicians and diplomats describe the government conference that will mark the beginning of EU accession negotiations for Ukraine on Tuesday. But the road could be long for Ukraine. This is emphasized by statements from Hungary’s European Minister, János Bóka.

On the very day of Ukraine’s government conference with the EU, he once again casts doubt on Ukraine’s path to EU membership. The statements carry extra weight because on July 1st, Hungary will take over the EU presidency. Thus, it is theoretically Hungary that will drive the negotiations with Ukraine forward for the next six months.

According to János Bóka, there are many uncertainties surrounding how far Ukraine actually is with the reforms needed for the country to be admitted to the EU.

“The accession negotiations have not really started yet. We are still at the beginning of the screening process. It is very difficult to say what level Ukraine is at. As I see it, Ukraine is very far from meeting the accession criteria,” says János Bóka on the way into a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg.

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