A “consistent and merit-based” enlargement policy: this is how the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins on Monday 1 July, wishes to move forward on issues relating to the accession of new countries to the EU, specifically those in the Western Balkans.
“The (European) Community cannot be complete without the accession of this region”, it says in the summary of Hungary’s priorities for the next 6 months, which goes on to state that “the objective is to ensure that the European Union remains the primary economic and political partner of the region, thus preventing third countries from gaining further ground and increasing their influence”.
Three main lines of political action are due to take centre stage on enlargement: advancing accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina; addressing the issues that are seeing Albania and North Macedonia’s accession processes blocked; and opening new chapters of the acquis with Serbia. Montenegro and Kosovo are not mentioned in the programme.
This policy is also linked to the future person to be responsible for the enlargement portfolio at the European Commission, a role that is currently held by the Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi. Although Budapest has made it clear that it wishes to retain him, the criticisms levied at Mr Várhelyi during his term of office could make this impossible.
However, the Presidency programme makes no clear reference to continuing the accession process for Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. The first two are due to begin the process of screening the acquis communautaire, while the third still needs to make progress in the efforts required by the EU (see other news).
When the programme was presented on 18 June, the Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs, János Bóka, explained that “according to (his) expectations, the issue of opening chapters (for accession negotiations) will not be addressed at all” in respect of Ukraine during the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, adding on 25 June that Ukraine were “very far from meeting the accession criteria”. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre with Camille-Cerise Gessant)