‘Hungary does not yield to any pressure; it has a very determined stance regarding the EU enlargement and will represent it, whatever the offer may be,’ Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary declared on Thursday, 14 December in Brussels, Belgium.
Arriving for the two-day EU summit, Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary’s position is very clear.
‘When we talk about enlargement, the Hungarian stance states that it is a merit-based, sophisticated, legal procedure,’
he explained.
Responding to a question about Ukraine’s EU accession, the Prime Minister stated that there are conditions for enlargement, and these have not been met. He pointed out that the European Council is not in a position to make a decision. According to him, this needs to be revisited later when, as he emphasized, the conditions are fulfilled. ‘We will not move from this position, whatever the offer may be,’ added Orbán.
Answering a question, he elaborated that enlargement is not a theoretical issue; it is a legally defined process with conditions. The EU demands seven such conditions, of which Ukraine has, according to the evaluation of the European Commission, fulfilled only four so far. As three conditions are deemed unmet by the Brussels body, it is not yet time to negotiate Ukraine’s membership, he stated. ‘The Hungarian genetic code does not perceive pressure, so it does not influence us,’ Orbán expressed, adding that Hungary has a very determined stance on enlargement and will represent it.
Regarding the planned €50 billion in EU financing for Ukraine for a four-year period, the Prime Minister mentioned that short-term support for the country has already been approved by the EU budget. However, for larger and longer-term support, it must be outside the EU budget. In this case, Hungary would be willing to support it, he said.
As the short-term support is already approved, the EU is not in a hurry, the Prime Minister emphasized, then went on to state that Hungary does not tie any Hungarian issue to Ukraine or other related matters.
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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/MTI
