Ukraine should be behind Balkans in EU queue – Hungary

Ukraine should not join the EU before the Western Balkan countries as it would contradict the merit-based nature of the bloc’s integration process, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has stated. Some nations in the Western Balkans have been waiting for their accession process to begin for 20 years.

Speaking at the Budapest Balkans Forum on Thursday, Szijjarto said the EU is in a “much worse situation than before” due to economic and security challenges. He criticized the long wait for Western Balkan nations and accused some EU states of hypocrisy by publicly backing enlargement while blocking it behind closed doors.

“When the real question needs to be discussed, when it’s no longer just communication, propaganda, and empty rhetoric, then they oppose enlargement,” Szijjarto told the audience, according to local media.

To become a member state, each country needs to fulfil the same conditions and complete the same steps. Currently, there are nine candidate countries, including the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, Türkiye, and Georgia, according to the European Council.

Five Western Balkan nations – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia – hold official EU candidate status. 

The Ukraine conflict has prompted the EU to rethink its enlargement strategy, restarting accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania and granting Bosnia candidate status. EU officials, including Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, have warned that delays could make the Balkan states more susceptible to Russian and Chinese influence. 

Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022, shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia. In June 2022, it was granted candidate status.

However, Ukraine faces significant hurdles before joining the bloc, as full membership requires the unanimous approval of all EU nations. In addition, the EU has demanded that Ukraine implement a comprehensive set of governance reforms, fight rampant corruption, and harmonize its legislation with EU law.

EU officials have never set a definitive timeline for Ukraine’s accession, although former European Council President Charles Michel suggested that Ukraine could join by 2030, provided it meets all the conditions.

Hungary has repeatedly warned that Kiev’s swift membership could harm the bloc’s economic development. Admitting Ukraine into the EU would be an “unthinkable” act, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in February.