European Council President Antonio Costa revealed in an exclusive interview with Euronews that Ukraine has reached a position enabling it to open and close several chapters in its EU accession process "immediately," following Hungary's decision to lift its two-year veto against Kyiv's progress toward full membership. The announcement marks a significant breakthrough in Ukraine's long-stalled European integration efforts and signals a potential acceleration of the membership timeline.
Costa made these remarks on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tivat, Montenegro, confirming that continuous technical work over recent months has enabled Kyiv to achieve substantial progress independent of the political paralysis previously imposed by the Hungarian veto. He emphasized that "fortunately, we did not waste time" during the nearly three-year period of stagnation regarding membership ambitions under former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's leadership, noting that bureaucratic preparations proceeded behind closed doors even while political channels remained blocked.
Hungarian Policy Shift and Minority Rights Agreement
Costa attributed this transformation to what he described as a "positive change in position" by new Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who lifted the veto this week following the conclusion of a bilateral agreement with Ukraine concerning the rights of the Hungarian minority in the Transcarpathia region (Zakarpattia Oblast) after weeks of intensive negotiations. The agreement addresses long-standing Budapest concerns regarding cultural and educational rights for approximately 150,000 ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine.
The European Council President considered this development "extremely important" primarily for bilateral relations between Budapest and Kyiv, stressing that bilateral difficulties between states should not affect the overall accession process with EU institutions. He praised Magyar's "clear" signal toward a new policy in Hungary regarding the Union, describing it as a "very positive thing" that could herald improved cooperation between Budapest and Brussels on enlargement matters.
The 33 Chapters and Six Thematic Clusters
The EU accession process comprises 33 chapters divided into six thematic clusters, creating multiple opportunities for member states to impose vetoes. Ukraine and Moldova—treated as twin candidates thus far—are scheduled to open their first negotiation cluster known as the "Fundamentals" on June 15. This opening represents the formal beginning of substantive membership talks after years of preliminary preparations and candidate status.
The "Fundamentals" cluster covers critical areas including human rights protections, supremacy of the rule of law, judicial independence and reform, and transparent public procurement standards. The process requires completing difficult internal reforms supervised by European commissioners and technical experts, with Ukrainian legislation undergoing meticulous review to ensure full compatibility with the acquis communautaire—the body of European Union law. Costa confirmed that work on these complex files continued throughout the veto period, making their "immediate" closure possible once officially opened by the Council.
Calls for Methodological Reform and Gradual Integration
Costa called for reforming the accession methodology, expressing his personal conviction that "consensus" should not be required to open chapters and clusters, but should only be necessary to close them. He emphasized the need to address "bilateral issues" appropriately to avoid future blockages that could paralyze the accession process for years, arguing that technical progress should not be held hostage to political disputes between individual member states and candidate countries.
These calls coincide with demands from Paris and Berlin to launch a process of "gradual structured integration," aimed at stimulating reforms in candidate countries in exchange for granting them EU privileges, including greater access to the European single market. Kyiv seeks to open all six clusters during the current month, though Brussels officials believe the process may continue until September due to the complexity of screening processes and the need for unanimous approval at each stage.
Implications for the Arab Region and Global Balance
The European progress toward incorporating Ukraine represents a profound geopolitical shift extending its impact to the Arab region, where it will reshape economic and security balances along the expanded Union's borders. The accession of a country with significant agricultural and industrial capabilities like Ukraine will alter European decision-making mechanisms that directly affect trade relations, energy markets, and grain supplies with the Arab world. Ukraine currently serves as a major supplier of wheat and corn to numerous Middle Eastern and North African countries.
Furthermore, Kyiv's experience in continuing institutional reforms despite two years of political stagnation offers an important lesson for Arab states seeking to conclude partnership agreements with major blocs. As trends deepen toward strengthening Euro-Mediterranean partnerships, Arab investors and governments are closely monitoring how the Union handles anti-corruption files and judicial reform in Ukraine, viewing them as models that could benefit Arab reform paths. This occurs within the context of redrawing the map of European-Arab cooperation for the coming decades amid shifting global alignments.