Hungary blocks opening of Ukraine's final two EU accession clusters
Hungary again refused to approve the screening results for negotiating clusters 4 and 5 at an EU Council working-group meeting in Brussels on October 27. The blocks leave the final two clusters in Ukraine's accession process unopened.
Key points
- Hungary declined to approve the screening results for clusters 4 and 5 on October 27.
- The two clusters are the last negotiating clusters not yet opened for Ukraine.
- Cluster 4 covers transport, energy, trans-European networks, the environment and climate change.
- Cluster 5 covers agriculture, fisheries, regional policy and budgetary matters.
- EU Council working groups formally approved the screening results for clusters 2 and 3 on October 7; the clusters opened on October 13.
- Ukraine's government expects clusters 4 and 5 to open by the end of 2026.
- German Ambassador to Ukraine Boris Ruge rejected the argument that Ukraine cannot join the EU during the war.
Why it matters
Clusters 4 and 5 are the last two negotiating clusters not yet opened for Ukraine, and they cover major policy areas including transport, energy, climate, agriculture, regional policy and budgetary rules. Because EU enlargement decisions require unanimity, Hungary's refusal leaves the accession process short of completion and puts pressure on Ukraine's timetable.
What happened
At the October 27 meeting of the EU Council's COELA enlargement working group in Brussels, Hungary refused to approve the screening results for negotiating clusters 4 and 5. Approval is a required procedural step before the clusters can open. The question had been placed on the working group's agenda again despite Ireland's Council presidency knowing that Budapest did not intend to change its position. Hungary had already blocked the same screening results on October 20.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage emphasizes Hungary's continuing obstruction, the unresolved procedural step and the broad policy areas covered by the two blocked clusters. The reports also highlight the earlier resolution of the dispute over clusters 2 and 3: Ukraine amended its education legislation to address Hungary's objections, after which those clusters opened. The German ambassador's rejection of the claim that accession during wartime is impossible also features in the Ukrainian framing.
Background
Ukraine and Moldova received EU candidate status in June 2022. Cluster 1, covering rule of law, democratic institutions and public administration reform, opened on June 15, and cluster 6 on external relations opened on July 14 under a compromise. Hungary blocked the screening results for clusters 2 and 3 for several months before COELA approved them on October 7. The Verkhovna Rada then adopted amendments to education legislation for national minorities with 266 votes, after which President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the bill, paving the way for clusters 2 and 3 to open on October 13. The European Commission planned to present separate accession road maps for Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania on October 28.