The European Union summit involves the adoption of a historic and at the same time controversial document, which aims to voice a comprehensive state and prospects for Ukraine’s integration into the European family
According to sources from European Pravda, within the framework of the upcoming days of the meeting, the leaders of the EU member states plan to approve a document with clear and powerful messages - regarding Ukraine’s progress in the negotiations, as well as its potential readiness to open new “negotiation clusters”. This document will become an important symbol of support for our country on its European integration path. However, among the participants in the meeting there will be those who will mark a “red line” for themselves: Hungary has stated that it is not going to sign this historic document. On condition of anonymity, a senior European Union official told European Pravda that this summit will be one of the most important in recent years in the context of Ukraine’s progress towards membership in the bloc. “European Council President António Costa hopes that the summit conclusions will have strong support and will send a strong message to Ukraine,” he said. “In particular, it is about confirming its readiness to open negotiation clusters. We have worked with the utmost attention on the wording of the document. Of course, we would like all 27 EU member states to sign it. However, the reality is that this document will have 26 signatures — and one of them will most likely not be attached by the Hungarian side.” The head of European diplomatic circles emphasized that, according to the rules of the EU enlargement procedure, the unanimous support of all 27 countries is necessary to advance the Ukrainian issue — even without Hungary, which has long been defending its national interests in this issue. “Although formal support from Hungary is not currently envisaged, Ukraine can continue its diplomatic work in an informal format,” he added. — If we manage to consolidate a strong message with the support of 26 countries, this will become a very powerful mandate for further steps. After all, even without a formal signature from Hungary, the issue of moving towards European integration will not stop, and accession negotiations will continue at an unofficial level.” According to the source, the President of the European Council and all heads of delegations want Ukraine to soon be able to take the first real steps, open “cluster” negotiations and demonstrate its readiness for accession. However, the current reality is that the process is complicated by the political position of Hungary, which has actively blocked and continues to block this direction. Therefore, Brussels is already preparing the so-called “plan B” — a scenario under which negotiations with Ukraine could continue in parallel and without the direct support of the Hungarian government. This is a typical “compromise” for the EU in situations where consensus to implement one or another step is unattainable, but countries seek to support Ukraine. In particular, public and classified discussions are talking about the possibility of further institutional advancement of Ukraine in a format that does not depend on the Hungarian veto - this is the so-called "parallel negotiations scenario". Such a decision will allow Ukraine to maintain momentum and persistently advance in the process, despite the blocking by Budapest. You can read more about this scenario and other possible options for the development of events in our analytical article entitled "Plan B for Ukraine's accession to the EU. How Brussels is preparing to help Kyiv despite the Hungarian veto". On the agenda are both the issues of preparation for the formal signing of the historic document, and the issue of supporting the Ukrainian application and the prospects for further EU enlargement. In addition, the heads of state of Europe will discuss the issue of sanctions, as well as the balance between strategic support for Kyiv and diplomatic instruments that allow it to remain within the framework of a common foreign policy. In general, the upcoming summit will be a defining moment in the European space for Ukraine: either confirmation of the intention to move forward and opening up new opportunities for European integration, or postponement and non-commitment on issues related to the future of our country and its European integration ambitions. At the same time, the political situation with the Hungarian veto shows that preparations for Ukraine's accession to the EU remain a complex process, in which each step is carefully weighed and causes an ambiguous reaction in European politics.