Hungary has taken steps to lift its veto on the opening of two additional chapters in Ukraine’s European Union accession negotiations, potentially clearing the way for further progress in Kyiv’s membership process.
The move remains conditional on the Ukrainian parliament adopting legislation strengthening the rights of national minorities, particularly the Hungarian community in the Transcarpathian region.
Following an agreement reached at expert level, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, is expected to consider the legislation in the coming days. If the bill is approved, Hungary is expected to support the opening of the next negotiating areas at a meeting of the EU’s General Affairs Council in Luxembourg.
Budapest has also allowed technical preparations to begin for the Council documents that would formally ask Ukraine to submit its negotiating positions. The step is part of the formal procedure preceding the opening of additional accession negotiations.
The development comes after Hungary had previously blocked the preparatory stage as well, making the latest decision a significant indication that Budapest could remove its remaining objections if Kyiv fulfills the agreed conditions on minority rights.
Hungary has for years sought stronger guarantees for the educational, cultural and linguistic rights of roughly 100,000 ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine, particularly in Transcarpathia.
Ukraine registered legislation in parliament earlier this month aimed at strengthening access to education in national minority languages and addressing one of the outstanding issues affecting the opening of additional EU negotiating areas.
The process could still face delays, however, as the legislation has yet to be adopted and the Ukrainian government must secure sufficient parliamentary support.
The two negotiating areas expected to move forward concern the EU’s internal market and competitiveness. Ukraine has already opened negotiations on other areas, including the “fundamentals” cluster covering issues such as the judiciary and fundamental rights, as well as external relations.
Under the EU’s accession framework, negotiations are organized into six thematic clusters covering 33 chapters. Ukraine formally opened its first cluster, “Fundamentals,” in June 2026 and subsequently opened the external relations cluster in July.
If further chapters are opened, Brussels’ broader objective is to advance negotiations across the remaining areas during 2026.
The dispute over minority rights has also affected relations between Budapest and Kyiv. The issue has been a longstanding point of contention, with Hungary seeking assurances regarding the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia.
The European Commission has welcomed efforts by Hungary and Ukraine to resolve outstanding questions concerning the rights of national minorities, saying that such an agreement could help address issues that have remained unresolved for years.
The latest development could therefore remove another obstacle to Ukraine’s EU accession process, provided Kyiv adopts the legislation requested by Budapest and the relevant EU procedures are completed.
