Exclusive: Hungary, Bulgaria, water down ambition on Ukraine's EU membership bid — again
BRUSSELS, Belgium — Ukraine's EU membership bid does not need to advance "as soon as possible" anymore, according to the latest draft conclusions of the Oct. 15-16 summit of EU leaders in Brussels, due to pressure from Bulgaria and Hungary. Ahead of each summit, common conclusions are prepared in advance by the 27 EU countries, and can keep changing until the end of the gathering. In the draft…
Brussels, Belgium - The ambition of Ukraine's EU membership bid has been watered down at the latest summit of EU leaders, as revealed in the draft conclusions from the Oct. 15-16 gathering, due to pressure from Bulgaria and Hungary. The EU had previously opened additional enlargement clusters for Ukraine, but the draft conclusions no longer mention the desire to open them "as soon as possible."
This change was made by Bulgaria and Hungary, who argued that keeping the same wording as in June would be appropriate. The change also extends to the Moldova section of the draft, where the EU accession process has been linked to Ukraine's progress. There were minor adjustments to other parts of the conclusions as well, including stronger language about the return of children and references to Ukraine's financing.
The draft now states that leaders "will revert to the issue in a timely manner," which could set the stage for a significant discussion over Russia's immobilized assets at the upcoming December summit.
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