Welcome to our Young Generation Policy Briefs series! In this eighth issue, Matthias Vollmer analyses the political dynamics of Ukraine’s EU accession process and evaluates policy options to counter the threat that Hungary’s veto power poses to the credibility of the negotiations.
Executive Summary: The EU could lose credibility in the accession process with Ukraine, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is threatening to repeatedly veto the opening of chapter negotiations. This means that the EU cannot guarantee that accession will take place, even if Ukraine fulfills all the reform requirements. The brief assesses three options that could solve the credibility problem:
(1) Withdrawing Hungary’s voting rights
(2) Reforming the unanimity principle
(3) Making systematic use of the chapter structure to intertwine Hungary’s cultural and economic interests with Ukraine
The brief identifies the third option as most suitable, since it would increase Viktor Orbán’s interest in Ukraine’s accession and ensure predictable progress in the negotiations for Ukraine.
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Young Generation Policy Brief no. 8:
About the author:
Matthias Vollmer
MA Student in European Studies, European University Viadrina
Matthias Vollmer is a master’s student in European Studies at the European University Viadrina. Having grown up bilingual, his academic interests lie in cross-border issues at the intersection of economics, politics, and law. During his bachelor’s degree in business administration at the Free University Berlin, he focused on corporate governance, social responsibility, and law. In addition to his studies, he has already gained work experience in the fields of anti-corruption, data protection, and environmental, social, and governance issues, and works as a student assistant at a law firm.
ValEUs Young Generation Policy Briefs
Policy briefs are regularly published as part of the Jean Monnet Policy Network “ValEUs”. The project, which is intended to provide a realistic account of EU foreign policy, thus aims to expand the societal dialogue on project results. The policy briefs are written from a student perspective, identifying problems with the self-proclaimed European values and suggesting possible solutions.
