Ukraine takes major step toward EU membership after Hungary drops objections

On Tuesday, Ukraine took a significant step forward in its European Union membership bid, opening negotiations on the internal market and competitiveness standards, according to the Irish Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne after Hungary scaled back its objections.

The Hungarian government supported the major move after Ukraine’s parliament passed legislation on Monday expanding the rights of Hungarian speakers.

According to Reuters, the EU arduous multi-year integration process is further complicated in the case of Ukraine by the ongoing geopolitical tensions.

In the course of the procedure, candidate countries negotiate policy chapters grouped into six thematic clusters comprising fundamental rights, the bloc’s internal market and external relations.

Furthermore, the EU opened negotiations with Ukraine on the core set of policy issues such as the functioning of democratic institutions in June; moreover both sides opened negotiations on the external affairs in July.

The opening of the next two clusters is another step in Ukraine’s lengthy accession process but it does not ensure membership. Kyiv must complete extensive reforms and terminating each cluster demands the absolute consensus of EU member states.

Although Hungary’s reservations seem to have been addressed, other EU countries could still obstruct progress.