{"id":820903,"date":"2026-03-12T14:42:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T14:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/820903\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T14:42:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T14:42:20","slug":"ep-adopts-resolution-to-override-hungarys-veto-on-ukraine-eu-accession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/820903\/","title":{"rendered":"EP Adopts Resolution to Override Hungary\u2019s Veto on Ukraine EU Accession"},"content":{"rendered":"

The European Parliament voted in favour<\/a> of a resolution on the EU enlargement strategy on Wednesday, 11 March, which, among other provisions, included a proposal to abandon unanimity when opening and closing negotiation chapters in the European Council\u2014a move widely seen as an attempt to override Hungary\u2019s veto on Ukraine\u2019s accession.<\/p>\n

The resolution, adopted with 385 votes in favour, 147 against, and 98 abstentions, describes EU enlargement as a strategic response to the \u2018changing geopolitical environment\u2019, particularly the war in Ukraine. It is based on an own-initiative report<\/a> prepared by the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs and presented by Lithuanian MEP Petras Au\u0161trevi\u010dius, which argues that failure to enlarge could allow Russia, China, or other external actors to increase their influence in neighbouring regions.<\/p>\n

Changing EU Rules for Ukraine<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most controversial points of the resolution is the proposal to reform EU decision-making in order to accelerate the pace of the enlargement process. According to the report, the European Council should use qualified majority voting instead of unanimity for intermediate steps of accession talks, including the opening and closing of negotiation clusters and chapters. The final accession decision would, however, still require unanimity among member states.<\/p>\n

The proposal is widely interpreted as targeting Hungary, which is currently blocking Ukraine\u2019s EU accession for several reasons, primarily citing security and economic concerns. <\/p>\n

\n

\u2018The proposal is widely interpreted as targeting Hungary\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In effect, the proposal calls on the European Commission and the European Council to alter EU procedures in order to move forward with Kyiv\u2019s accession despite Budapest\u2019s objections.<\/p>\n

The European Parliament also \u2018calls for the swift opening of negotiating clusters with Ukraine and Moldova and urges the Hungarian Government to refrain from continuing to block negotiations\u2019. MEPs additionally \u2018expressed regret\u2019 that the Council of the European Union has not yet reached agreement on the use of frozen Russian assets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hungarian Opposition Avoids Vote<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ukraine has become a central issue in Hungary\u2019s election campaign ahead of the upcoming parliamentary vote<\/a> in April. Kyiv has been halting oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline<\/a>\u2014a key route for energy supplies to both Hungary and Slovakia\u2014since 27 January. In response, Orb\u00e1n vowed to block the \u20ac90 billion EU loan to Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy openly threatened Orb\u00e1n with possible military action if he does not lift his veto on the loan, stating that \u2018we will give the address of that person to our armed forces, and let them call him and speak with him in their own language\u2019. Yesterday, former lieutenant general of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) Hryhoriy Omelchenko doubled down on Zelenskyy\u2019s remarks, issuing a death threat against both Orb\u00e1n and his family<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Just a day ahead of the vote in the European Parliament, the Hungarian parliament adopted a resolution expressing its opposition<\/a> to Ukraine\u2019s accession to the EU, continued war aid to Kyiv, efforts to transform the EU into a military alliance, and initiatives that threaten the sovereignty of member states. The resolution passed with 142 votes in favour, 28 against, and 4 abstentions.<\/p>\n

MEPs from the Hungarian governing party Fidesz voted against the EP resolution on Wednesday, while the main opposition party Tisza\u2014including its leader P\u00e9ter Magyar\u2014skipped the vote, apparently seeking to avoid political backlash ahead of the April election. The move comes as Tisza attempts to distance itself from the issue of Ukraine, while Orb\u00e1n has accused the party of being pro-Ukraine<\/a> and even receiving financial support from Kyiv.<\/p>\n

\u2018Vote against Orb\u00e1n!\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the parliamentary debate preceding the vote, Vice President of the European Parliament and Romanian Green MEP Nicolae \u0218tef\u0103nu\u021b\u0103 sharply criticized Hungary\u2019s stance on Ukraine, urging Transylvanian Hungarians to vote against Orb\u00e1n\u2019s government<\/a> in the election. <\/p>\n

\u2018Today I want to encourage all Hungarians in Transylvania to go to vote, to participate, to register. Viktor Orb\u00e1n\u2019s imaginary enemy is Ukraine, but the very real enemy of the people is poverty, being left behind, the very, very high cost of living, corruption,\u2019 \u0218tef\u0103nu\u021b\u0103 claimed, accusing Orb\u00e1n of attacking the EU and Ukraine to divert attention from domestic issues. \u2018Orb\u00e1n, nothing lasts forever,\u2019 \u0218tef\u0103nu\u021b\u0103 concluded.<\/p>\n

Reacting to the accusations, Orb\u00e1n condemned \u0218tef\u0103nu\u021b\u0103\u2019s \u2018audacity to lecture Hungarians\u2019 and \u2018urge them to vote against us\u2019. Addressing the claims that Hungary is \u2018being left behind\u2019 with a \u2018high cost of living\u2019 and \u2018corruption\u2019, Orb\u00e1n argued that the situation contrasts sharply with developments elsewhere in Europe. <\/p>\n

Orb\u00e1n Viktor on X (formerly Twitter): “\u2068\u2069Vice President @nicustefanuta, in the European Parliament you had the audacity to lecture Hungarians, urging them to vote against us. Before doing so, perhaps you should take a look around Europe. Across the continent there are austerity measures, layoffs, and factory… \/ X”<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2068\u2069Vice President @nicustefanuta, in the European Parliament you had the audacity to lecture Hungarians, urging them to vote against us. Before doing so, perhaps you should take a look around Europe. Across the continent there are austerity measures, layoffs, and factory…<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u2018While in other parts of Europe there are austerity measures, layoffs, and factory closures, in Hungary we have ensured work opportunities for everyone who wants to work, introduced lifetime income tax exemption for mothers with two or more children, raised the minimum wage by another 11 per cent, introduced a fixed 3 per cent home loan for young people, and expanded family support,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018This is all possible because we keep our money in Hungary instead of throwing it at Ukraine,\u2019 Orb\u00e1n continued, adding that this is the \u2018difference between Brusselian politics and Hungarian priorities\u2019. \u2018We put our people first,\u2019 the prime minister declared. Concluding his response, Orb\u00e1n said he would refrain from commenting on the \u2018state of the Romanian economy\u2019 as a gesture of goodwill, referring to the recent austerity package introduced in Romania to address the largest budget deficit in the EU.<\/a><\/p>\n

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