EU to take accession vote for Ukraine, Moldova
EU countries will vote in the formal EU accession process for Ukraine and Moldova today.
The two countries have been candidates for EU membership for two years. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has long opposed NATO and EU proposals to send military aid to Ukraine and attempted to obstruct accession negotiations between the EU and Ukraine. However, following pressure from the EU institutions and the European Commission’s decision to unblock approximately 10 billion euros frozen in Budapest, Orbán left the voting room while the 26 other EU leaders could vote to begin drafting negotiating frameworks in December 2023.
Although all 27 EU governments are expected to approve the negotiations frameworks for the two nations, the EU Council presidency will begin the transfer of power from Belgium to Hungary for the six-month leadership.
Expect Ukraine’s accession into the EU to be brought to a six-month standstill while Hungary serves its term. Some EU diplomats have expressed concerns that Orbán will use the EU Council presidency to advance some of Hungary’s right-leaning views and challenge the EU’s Ukraine policy. In the near-term, Hungary’s also expected to oppose Ursula von der Leyen’s re-election as European Commission president, affecting the EU’s continuity amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
