UZHHOROD: The European Union has launched a high-level charm offensive in Ukraine this week to ease tensions threatening Kyiv’s accession bid.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos met with Hungarian minority representatives in western Ukraine on Monday.
She visited Hungarian and Slovak minority schools in Uzhhorod to address Budapest’s concerns about minority rights.
“There is no enlargement without protection of minorities,“ Kos told minority representatives during her visit.
Ukraine considers EU membership its most realistic path to economic prosperity and security against Russia.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban opposes Ukraine moving to the next stage of accession talks.
Budapest has cited concerns about language rights for ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine.
Relations between Hungary and Ukraine have worsened recently after Kyiv suggested drones in its airspace could have come from Hungarian territory.
Hungary responded by suggesting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was “losing his mind”.
Both countries have expelled diplomats and barred news outlets in the escalating dispute.
Orban faces a tough election next year and has made his stance on Ukraine a campaign issue.
European officials in some capitals view Orban’s position as cynical obstruction of Ukraine’s progress.
“Hungary are asking for rights these minorities never had before and never claimed themselves,“ said one anonymous European official.
Ukraine and most EU states want to begin initial negotiations on six policy clusters.
Hungary is blocking this process, which requires unanimous backing from all 27 member states.
Ukraine passed a law in 2017 requiring schools to teach students over age 10 in Ukrainian.
Some adjustments were made in 2023, but critics say they didn’t go far enough.
Brussels is encouraging Ukraine to fully implement its minority rights action plan adopted in May.
Kos promised the European Commission would act as guarantor for Kyiv’s commitments.
“Believe me, I will be very strict,“ she told minority representatives.
The EU executive wants Kos’s trip to send political messages to both Kyiv and Budapest.
“The message for Budapest is that we take the concerns from our member states seriously,“ Kos told Reuters.
She said Hungary’s concerns could be resolved during cluster negotiations on minorities.
“Not even wanting to start negotiating on this, I don’t think that this is fair,“ she added.
Ukraine insists it has met all requirements and is pushing for negotiations to begin.
“Much remains to be resolved, but the process is moving in the right direction,“ said László Zubanics of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Ukraine.
A Hungarian government spokesman expressed hope for better relations over the next decade.
He said this development “depends entirely on Kyiv and Ukraine”.
European Council President Antonio Costa has floated bypassing Hungary’s objection.
His proposal would open clusters without requiring unanimity across the EU.
Changing the rules, however, still requires backing from all 27 member states. – Reuters