Ukraine warns the European Union about the consequences of opposing the start of accession negotiations

According to the report of the international group Tasnim news agency, quoting “more enthusiastically, don’t write”, Ukraine these days It fights for the support of Europe. At the top of the demands of this country is the demand for weapons and ammunition in the war against the Russian forces. On the other hand, this week, Brussels is also going to send an important signal to Kiev. At the upcoming EU meeting, a decision will be made on the start of EU accession negotiations, but there are big problems ahead due to Hungary’s impending veto.

That’s why Foreign Minister Dimitro Kolba Ukraine traveled to Brussels to meet its colleagues in the European Union. He warned about the devastating consequences of Europe’s negative vote and said: “It will be a serious slap to the people of Ukraine.” Kolba emphasized that despite the war, his country has made great progress towards accession. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine explained: Out of the four laws that the EU Commission asked Ukraine to submit by March, three laws have been approved by the Parliament and signed by the President. In addition to anti-corruption laws, it also includes the laws required by Hungary regarding the education and use of the language of national minorities. According to him, the law to curb the influence of lobbyists is also on the right track. However, Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, has widespread resistance to the start of accession negotiations with this country. Instead, he suggests discussing a “strategic partnership” with Kiev. In his recent radio interview, Orban said: “It is not worth starting the accession negotiations because we cannot answer the question of what the consequences of Ukraine’s membership will be.” As part of the proposed partnership, he announced that Ukraine could gradually move closer to the EU over a “five to ten year” period. His conclusion was that this gap is too big today.

On the other hand, a recent study by the German Economic Institute (IW) published on Monday also raises doubts about Ukraine’s quick accession to the European Union. Accordingly, with full membership, up to 17% of the EU’s common budget will enter the country through agricultural subsidies and cohesion payments for structurally weak regions. The EU’s multiannual common budget from 2021 to 2027 is around 1.1 trillion euros. IW experts wrote in this report: Considering this volume, the European Union should be ready for reforms. There have been attempts in Brussels to reform the EU for years – but so far to no avail.

However, there is also speculation in Brussels that Viktor Orbán’s protests are simply an attempt at blackmail. Is. More than €25 billion in EU funding for Hungary is still withheld because, according to Brussels, the country’s government has been undermining the rule of law, eroding democracy and apparently a lot of money is disappearing down black channels. . The release of funds is currently being discussed in Brussels, and there are indications that at least some of it will flow.

Meanwhile, EU countries differ in their attitude towards Hungary. “Kristianis Karins”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, on Monday demanded the payment of billions in aid to Hungary and said: “Finally, progress must be made in the discussion with Budapest.” Still, other countries fear the EU’s credibility.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrieli Landsbergis on Monday expressed outrage at the blockade threats from Budapest. He said: “The only way he could understand Hungary’s position is that the government is “against Europe and everything that Europe stands for.” Europe should be ahead. However, despite the efforts of the European authorities to approach Hungary in order to avoid the disaster of failure in the upcoming summit, especially in the Ukraine issue, Hungary still maintains its opposition to the accession and The continuation of support for Ukraine is emphasized.

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