Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party submitted a resolution to parliament on Wednesday urging the government not to support the start of EU accession talks with Ukraine, as Budapest steps up pressure on Brussels ahead of a pivotal summit next week, Euractiv reported.
“The European Union’s expansion policy should remain an objective process based on rules and performance.”
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has warned that EU leaders may not reach consensus on launching membership talks with Ukraine, arguing that the issue should not be included on the summit agenda.
The start of membership talks with Ukraine should be based on a consensus among European Union member states… The conditions for this are not present today.
Mistrust of Orbán in Brussels has risen after disagreements over gay and migrant rights in Hungary, as well as tighter state control over academics, courts and the media. This has led to the freezing of billions of euros of EU funds for Hungary.
The resolution says EU leaders should first conduct a thorough assessment of how Ukraine’s possible membership would affect cohesion and agricultural policy within the bloc, of which the EU’s poorest members, including Hungary, are among the main beneficiaries.
A massive surge of Ukrainian grain into the EU sparked protests by farmers in eastern Europe last year, while Polish truckers blocked several border crossings with Ukraine, calling on the EU to reinstate permits restricting transit for Ukrainian competitors.
Orbán will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday prior to the summit, his press chief announced. Roger Hilton, a research fellow at GLOBSEC, a think tank, stated:
“Orbán has committed to a very public strategy of creating chaos and panic ahead of the EU Council Summit. The spectacle he is producing is designed to create stress and maximise his leverage before EU leaders meet.”
