Hungary refuses to approve screening results of negotiation 2 and 3 clusters for Ukraine and Moldova
Hungary refused to approve the screening results of negotiation clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine and Moldova during a meeting of the Council of the EU working party on enlargement (COELA), with the next attempt scheduled for September 1, the Kyiv-based European (Evropeiska) Pravda ezine has said, citing sources in Brussels.
"The second attempt to persuade Hungary to approve the screening results of clusters 2 and 3 for Ukraine and Moldova on July 22 ended in failure: the third attempt is scheduled for September 1," the publication's website stated on Wednesday.
"Today, COELA failed for the second time to approve the screening results of clusters No. 2 and No. 3 for Ukraine and Moldova due to Hungary's unwillingness. The issue has been postponed until September," stated one of ezine’s interlocutors.
As reported, during the COELA working party meeting on July 17, Hungary refused to begin the process of opening negotiation clusters No. 2 and No. 3 for Ukraine, but agreed regarding cluster No. 3 for Moldova. However, this option did not find support among the majority of EU member states, and no decision was adopted.
It was also reported earlier that on July 14, the 6th negotiation cluster "External Relations" was opened for Ukraine in Brussels, and the then Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Taras Kachka assured that the opening of the remaining four clusters was not postponed until "after summer".
Hungary previously blocked the opening of clusters 2-6 for Ukraine at the technical level, but rather quickly agreed to lift the veto on cluster 6.