Hungary is a country that strongly opposes Ukraine's entry into the EU, citing the need to "protect the language rights" of the Hungarian community living in western Ukraine. However, observers say that even if Budapest is no longer a problem, the path to Kiev's "common home of Europe" is still full of challenges.
Ms. Marta Kos, EU expandender, stressed that political support alone is not enough: We need to see concrete progress on reform, especially in ensuring the independence of the judiciary and strictly implementing anti-corruption regulations.
In reality, Ukraine is still struggling to harmonize reforms and internal politics. At the end of July, the Ukrainian parliament passed a regulation increasing the control of the Chief Prosecutor General over anti-corruption agencies - a move that drew back strongly from the EU and its Western partners. Faced with international pressure and domestic public opinion, Kiev was forced to withdraw this decision, clearly exposing the difficulties of a political system in transition.
In that context, some EU countries are looking to go beyond the Hungarian fence - allowing the implementation of technical steps in the negotiation process without opening a whole new chapter. However, this solution still requires widespread consensus among member countries, which is not easy to achieve when Europe is deeply divided on the issue of Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that if the current pace of reform is maintained, Ukraine can join the EU before 2030. However, many diplomats say this is a "more optimistic" goal than in reality, because the amount of work that Kiev needs to complete is still huge - from legal reform, economy to standardizing integration criteria.
For Ukrainians, the EU is not only an economic destination but also a symbol of freedom, democracy and security, especially in the context of the country suffering the severe consequences of the conflict. However, within the EU, many countries are still hesitant to admit a country in conflict, worrying about the cost of reconstruction and the political risks it poses.
