BRUSSELS
The European Commission said Thursday it expects the first chapter of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations to be opened soon, following a breakthrough between Hungary and Ukraine on minority rights issues that had long delayed the process.
Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier welcomed the agreement reached between Budapest and Kyiv, describing it as an important step forward for Ukraine’s membership bid.
“The commission welcomes the constructive negotiations between Hungary and Ukraine and the agreement to address the remaining issues concerning the rights of people belonging to national minorities in Ukraine,” Mercier told reporters during a midday press briefing.
He said the agreement reflected efforts by both sides to resolve long-standing disputes and was facilitated by reforms linked to Ukraine’s EU accession process.
“This is an important step that paves the way to the opening of fundamental clusters for Ukraine and Moldova,” he said.
The comments came after Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced that Hungary would support the opening of the first cluster of accession negotiations after reaching an agreement with Ukraine on minority rights guarantees.
Mercier said the commission had been in close contact with both parties during the talks and was aware of the issues discussed.
“We were in close contact with both parties when they were discussing the different points,” he said.
According to Mercier, Ukraine’s accession action plan will need to be adjusted to reflect the agreement, but the commission expects the necessary changes to be made quickly.
Asked whether additional negotiating clusters could be opened in the coming weeks, Mercier reiterated the commission’s assessment that both Ukraine and Moldova have completed the technical requirements needed to advance in the accession process.
“We always start with the first cluster on fundamentals,” he said, noting that the final decision on opening negotiation chapters rests with EU member states.
