The EU is reportedly discussing a new enlargement model that would grant new member states limited voting rights at first – a proposal that could make Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán more amenable to Ukraine’s accession.
Source: Politico with reference to its sources, as reported by European Pravda
Details: According to three European diplomats and one EU official who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity, discussions have begun within the EU about a new accession model. The idea is that new member states would not have full voting rights for a certain period – until the EU carries out a major institutional reform to prevent abuse of the veto power.
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Such an approach could soften Orbán’s stance on Ukraine’s EU membership and ease the growing frustration among long-standing candidate countries such as Montenegro.
At present, the proposal is at a very early stage and has begun to be discussed informally among member states and the European Commission. Its implementation would require unanimous approval by all EU countries.
Politico notes that this is one of the latest attempts by pro-enlargement countries such as Austria and Sweden to revive the EU’s expansion process, which has been blocked by Budapest and several other capitals citing concerns about competition in domestic markets or perceived threats to national security interests.
According to European Pravda, there are currently no signs of consensus on any initiatives that would move away from the unanimity principle in EU enlargement decisions. Politico also notes in the same article that the idea of abandoning unanimity has met resistance not only from Hungary – which routinely abuses its veto power – but also from countries such as France and the Netherlands.
It is also worth noting that Orbán’s veto is of a different nature: the Hungarian prime minister is blocking Ukraine’s accession on political grounds.
Background:
In September, Ukraine and Moldova completed the screening of their legislation for compliance with EU law.
The EU commissioner for enlargement praised Ukraine’s record pace of technical preparation for membership and expressed confidence that Hungary’s veto on starting negotiations with Ukraine would soon be overcome.
European Council President António Costa has taken the lead in efforts to allow accession clusters to be opened by a qualified majority of EU member states rather than unanimously – a move that could potentially neutralise Hungary’s veto.
Read more: Getting round Orbán: how to unblock Ukraine’s road to the EU
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