European Council President Antonio Costa is exploring ways to overcome Hungary’s continued resistance to Ukraine’s bid for European Union membership, Politico reported on Sept. 29, citing undisclosed diplomats and officials.
The news comes ahead of an informal EU summit in Copenhagen on Oct. 1, where leaders are expected to discuss potential reforms to the bloc’s unanimous decision-making process for admitting new members.
Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orban — one of the few European leaders to maintain close ties with Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — has consistently opposed Ukraine’s accession and has blocked related decisions.
As Ukraine's accession bid is paired with Moldova's, Hungary's veto has also stalled Chisinau's efforts to join the EU.
Costa is proposing a shift in the way accession talks are handled, allowing the opening of negotiation "clusters" — key legal and policy chapters in the membership process — to be approved by a qualified majority vote rather than requiring full consensus, according to Politico’s sources.
While the final closure of these clusters would still require unanimous agreement, the reform would enable Ukraine and Moldova to continue progressing on EU reforms despite opposition from individual member states.
Costa has reportedly discussed the proposal with several EU leaders during a recent diplomatic tour of European capitals and on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, the media outlet reported.
The European Commission recommended launching accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova in November 2023, and the European Council agreed on it a month later.
The EU's accession process divides EU law into six thematic "negotiating clusters," each grouping related chapters that candidate countries must align with.
Ukraine formally launched accession talks with the EU in June 2024, but none of the six clusters has been opened yet.
In May, Kyiv announced it had completed all domestic procedures to launch the first cluster, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said in January that Ukraine's "ambitious goal" was to open nearly all negotiation clusters by the end of 2025.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos arrived in Ukraine on Sept. 29 as the country wraps up its legislative screening process, a key step in advancing its bid for EU membership.
Kyiv Independent reporter moderates a panel on Ukraine’s defense industry at IT Arena 2025