The European Council’s December 14 decision to give the go-ahead to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova was surprising, especially because Hungary threatened to oppose and some of the EU leaders warned that the non-approval of the start of talks would be seen as a victory of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, PS News said, with reference to international press reactions.
“Dear Moldovans, congratulations! Today’s decision to open EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova is a victory of us all,” said President Maia Sandu, addressing the Moldovan citizens.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed a “victory” for Ukraine and the European continent, noted Reuters.
The meeting comes at a crunch time for Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelensky hops across the world seeking further aid in the fight against Russia’s invasion. The Ukrainian counteroffensive in summer didn’t obtain major advances, while the Biden administrator has failed to secure the Congress’ support for a €60 billion financial aid package for Ukraine.
The European Council also decided to grant candidate status to Georgia, and said the bloc would open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is reached. By next March, the European Commission is to present a report on the issue so that a decision could be taken.
However, BBC wrote that Hungary blocked €50bn in EU aid for Ukraine - just hours after an agreement was reached on starting membership talks. Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban left the negotiating room momentarily in what officials described as a pre-agreed and constructive manner, while the other 26 leaders went ahead with the vote.
Euractiv, with reference to diplomatic sources, provided behind-the-scenes details. It noted that earlier on Wednesday (December 13), the European Commission restored Hungary’s access to up to €10.2 billion in refunds for economic projects after finding it had fulfilled conditions on the independence of its judiciary. This enabled the Hungarian Premier to confirm his efficiency as a national leader and to respect the interests of the European community.
