“What is difficult to explain in [Ukrainian] society is that we need to wait. … Waiting is not an option,” Kachka said regarding Kyiv’s membership bid. “We need to have a solution here and now. This is important for Ukraine but also for the European Union.”
A formal green light to join the EU would mark a major victor for Zelenskyy, who recently emerged empty-handed from a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington. Trump has rebuffed Kyiv’s efforts to join NATO, while Hungary is the main obstacle to its membership in the EU.
Kachka hailed an initiative by European Council President Antonio Costa to facilitate the process of applying to join the EU, saying the Portuguese politician had “advocated heavily” in favor of removing hurdles. “Antonio Costa is really strong in this case. And I will be glad to see if his initiative will be successful,” Kachka said.
Costa’s initiative was shot down at an informal gathering of leaders in Copenhagen, but pro-enlargement countries have since come up with a new proposal to overcome opposition not just from Hungary, but also from other skeptical states such as Bulgaria and Greece.
Under this new proposal, first reported by POLITICO and currently being studied in Brussels, new entrants to the EU would not have a right to veto bloc-wide policy decisions. This would amount to second-tier membership in the bloc, but could overcome deep-seated fears of the EU’s agenda being taken hostage by new members potentially including Ukraine, Moldova and Western Balkan countries such as Montenegro.
Kachka didn’t comment specifically on the new proposal but praised what he called “creative solutions” to address opposition from Hungary and other EU governments.