Hungary will not agree to the opening of the first cluster of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

Source: Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen, as cited by Hungarian news website Index.hu and reported by European Pravda

Details: Szijjártó said the Hungarian authorities will not allow Ukraine to be "pushed into the EU", as this would supposedly destroy Hungarian farmers, undermine Hungary’s food security and "allow the Ukrainian mafia to penetrate Hungary".

"That is why we will not allow the substantive part of the accession negotiations, namely the specific negotiation chapters, to be opened," he said.

Background: 

• Lithuania is urging EU capitals to take decisive action to make Ukraine’s EU membership application real and irreversible.
• Lithuania’s proposal suggests beginning technical-level negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova without Hungary, if the other 26 member states agree, with official approval to follow later if Budapest changes its position.
• Ahead of a visit by the leaders of France, Germany and Poland to the Moldovan capital of Chișinău, several European diplomats said that the idea of opening the first cluster of membership negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova separately is in doubt.

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