The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, has announced the opening of the first negotiation cluster for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. This development follows Ukraine’s commitment to incorporate an agreement regarding the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia into its action plan for the protection of national minorities.
In a statement on Facebook, Orbán indicated that the provisions of the bilateral agreement between Hungary and Ukraine have been officially included in the action plan prepared for the EU accession process. He emphasized that compliance with these commitments will now be a requirement set by the European Union.
“The implementation of Ukraine’s obligations under the Hungarian-Ukrainian agreement on minority rights will be closely monitored by both the European Commission and the European Council,” Orbán stated.
Orbán further warned that failure to meet these obligations within the stipulated timeframe would hinder Ukraine’s progress in the EU accession process.
“If Ukraine does not fulfill its commitments regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority on time, it will not be able to advance further in the EU accession process,” he added.
He characterized the opening of the first negotiation cluster as merely the initial step in a lengthy and complex journey. Orbán pointed to Montenegro as an example, noting that its accession negotiations began in 2012, yet the country has not yet achieved full EU membership despite significant progress.
“The time it can take between obtaining candidate status and full EU membership is illustrated by Montenegro’s experience,” Orbán remarked.
In a broader context, on December 19, 2025, it was reported that Ukraine had completed the necessary procedures to open all six negotiation clusters for EU accession. On October 2, 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, urging EU leaders to open the accession clusters for Ukraine.
Despite Ukraine’s technical readiness and the government’s approval of negotiation positions, the actual opening of the clusters requires unanimous agreement from all 27 EU member states. This consensus principle poses a significant challenge for Ukraine at this stage.
On March 17, 2026, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that the Ukrainian delegation in Brussels received the EU’s conditions for accession regarding three final negotiation clusters. EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, noted that all six negotiation clusters for Ukraine’s accession are currently unofficially open.
On June 15, the European Union is set to hold the first intergovernmental conferences with Ukraine and Moldova, during which Cluster 1, “Foundations,” will be officially opened as part of the accession negotiations.
Hungary has commenced the first negotiation cluster for Ukraine's EU accession, contingent on Ukraine's commitment to minority rights. This process highlights the complexities and challenges of EU integration amid regional dynamics.