In Brussels, they expect that Ukraine and Moldova will be able to start official negotiations on joining the European Union as early as mid-June, according to information in Hungarian news outlet Magyar Nemzet, citing Politico. Several diplomats reported that Hungary has indicated that it is ready to resolve its previous opposition to Kyiv’s EU integration.

According to the paper, the opening of the first negotiation cluster could take place on June 15 in Luxembourg at an intergovernmental conference. This would be the first official step on the road to membership.

Ukraine and Moldova submitted their application for accession to the European Union at the same time, which is why the progress of the two countries was linked. Chisinau can only move forward in the process if Kyiv also receives the necessary support.

According to the diplomats cited ty Politico, progress has been made in the Hungarian-Ukrainian negotiations in recent days. 

On Monday, an expert meeting was held on the issue of the rights of the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine, which Budapest has long referred to as a key condition for the start of EU accession negotiations.

According to the newspaper’s sources, the Ukrainian side gave guarantees that it wanted to deal with the objections previously formulated by the Hungarian side. At the same time, a Hungarian official emphasized that a final decision has not yet been made, and negotiations are still ongoing.

The importance of the matter is enhanced by the fact that all stages of the accession process require the unanimous support of all member states. This means that any country can raise a veto during the negotiations.

According to the paper, EU ambassadors will be able to finalize their position on the opening of the first negotiation cluster in the coming days. If a political agreement is reached, Ukraine and Moldova can officially start EU accession negotiations on June 15.