European Council President Antonio Costa is leading diplomatic efforts to advance Ukraine's EU membership bid despite Hungarian resistance, Politico reported, News.bg reports.
EU leaders are gathering this week for a key summit in Copenhagen.
According to five diplomats and officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, Costa is seeking support to streamline the enlargement process and overcome the impasse over Ukraine and Moldova's membership. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is using his veto power to block the process, as current rules require unanimity for each stage of the negotiations.
Under Costa’s proposal, key negotiating “clusters” could be opened with qualified majority approval instead of unanimity. Closing a cluster, however, would still require the full support of all member states. This approach would allow Ukraine and Moldova to start reforms and demonstrate progress, even in the face of resistance from one or two countries.
Diplomats say Costa has discussed the issue directly with European leaders during a tour of capitals and on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“Enlargement is a high priority for the European Council president. He sees it as the most significant geopolitical investment the EU can make,” a European official said.
Martha Kos, the EU’s enlargement commissioner, will visit Ukraine on Monday as the country wraps up the process of vetting its legislation.
“All clusters have been vetted in record time. Ukraine is ready for the next step. Now it’s up to member states to give the green light,” Kos said. She said that slowing down reforms would be unacceptable: “This is the time to accelerate.”