Denmark Vows to Pressure Hungary Over Ukraine's EU Accession
The European Union is interested in advancing Ukraine's EU accession negotiations, which are currently being blocked by only one country - Hungary. In this context, Denmark is ready to put pressure on Hungary to unblock the negotiation process, Danish Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre said in Brussels before the EU Council of Ministers for General Affairs.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to Ukrinform.
"I believe that Ukraine's accession process is necessary. We need to move forward. It is very important for Ukraine and for its long-term stability. It is also necessary for Europe to become stronger. We have to give Ukraine the prospect of EU membership," said the Danish government representative.
She emphasised that the Danish government would like to see the opening of the first cluster (in negotiations with Ukraine, as well as all other clusters. Bjerre stressed that EU enlargement is a process based on achievements. In this context, Ukraine continues to achieve outstanding results, even in times of war.
"We believe that the time has come to move forward with Ukraine in EU enlargement. I regret to say that Hungary is the only country that is currently blocking us from moving forward with Ukraine. We will use all available tools and apply pressure against Hungary. I believe that it will be possible to find a solution," said the Danish Minister of European Affairs.
On 27 May, the EU Council of Ministers for General Affairs is to hold its eighth hearing on the risks posed by the Hungarian government's actions to the fundamental values of the European Union. This is a legal procedure under Article 7 of the EU Treaty, which was initiated following a ‘substantiated proposal’ by the European Parliament in September 2018.
The parliamentarians were concerned about the violation of basic democratic freedoms in Hungary, which is manifested, in particular, in the functioning of the constitutional and electoral system, in ensuring the independence of the judiciary, in cases of corruption and conflict of interest, in violations of freedom of expression, academic and religious freedoms, in the infringement of the rights of minorities and migrants, etc.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Brussels is developing an alternative scenario for negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, bypassing Hungary - the first steps in its implementation have already been taken.