Anita Orbán: Ukraine’s EU accession process will be automatically suspended if it doesn't comply with minority rights agreement

Hungary is once again acting as a European country…we will defend our national interests, but we know that the best way to advance them is within our alliance system in the European Union and beyond – stated Anita Orbán upon arriving at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. According to the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, this marks a homecoming of sorts for Hungary; in April, voters made it clear that Hungary’s place is in Europe.

She noted that following intensive negotiations which lasted several weeks, a bilateral agreement has been signed with Ukraine. This agreement enshrines the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia—primarily in education, public administration, the use of symbols, and in culture. She noted that one of last week’s developments was the inclusion of this agreement in Ukraine’s EU accession process.

As part of the accession process, the first cluster of chapters, which deals with fundamental rights-and which the previous Hungarian administration had blocked—will be opened on Monday. Candidate countries must adopt the entire body of EU legal provisions, divided into more than thirty chapters across six clusters. According to Anita Orbán, the implementation of the Ukrainian-Hungarian agreement will be an interim milestone in the first cluster.

“This means” that if the Ukrainian government “fails to comply with this agreement, the accession process will automatically be suspended” in the first chapter of the negotiations,

so, in her assessment, this will be enforced with the Ukrainian government within both a bilateral and a multilateral framework.

János Bóka, the former Hungarian minister for EU affairs and recently elected vice-chair of Fidesz, last week wanted to know what guarantees there are that Ukraine will keep its promises. He agreed that the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia being expanded based on the 11 points negotiated by the previous government would represent “a significant improvement in the life of the Hungarian community" there, but in his view, if the opening of the first group of chapters is allowed, it will not be possible to hold Ukraine accountable for its commitments until the end of its accession process. “The question is whether we have any means left at all” to enforce Ukraine’s commitments, he said.

Speaking on Monday, Anita Orbán emphasized that, based on the existing accession methodology, the Hungarian government supports the standard, performance-and reform-based process.

She did not mention it, but according to the Ukrainian government and some prior reports, some member states would have opened not only the first but all chapters this week. Based on the statements and the official website of the accession conference, however, they will only begin with the first chapter on Monday, which means they are not accelerating the process. Both the opening and the closing of chapters requires a unanimous decision from the member state governments.

In addition to Ukraine, Monday will also see the second accession conference with Moldova, and the 27th such meeting with Montenegro—with which the drafting of the accession treaty has recently begun.