EU Accession — 2026-11-11

Hungary Again Blocks Opening of EU Accession Clusters 4 and 5 for Ukraine and Moldova

BLUFIt is unlikely that EU member states approve the screening results or formally open accession cluster 4 or 5 for Ukraine by the end of 2026, as Hungary's unchanged veto leaves no credible path to unblock the last two clusters before year-end.

Hungary refused on November 10 to approve the screening results for clusters 4 and 5 of Ukraine's EU accession talks at a meeting of the Council's Working Party on Enlargement (COELA), European Pravda reported, citing EU sources 12. One EU diplomat told European Pravda "No change" when asked about Budapest's position 1. The Moldova screening results for the same two clusters were also not approved, and these are the only clusters not yet opened for either country 13. Deputy Prime Minister Vsevolod Chentsov said on November 4 that Hungary was making no new demands on national minority rights and attributed the delay to Budapest's need for more time to study the chapter documents 13. New Voice of Ukraine reported that Taras Kachka said on November 3 that Kyiv and Budapest had reached a mutual understanding on opening the clusters, and that Ukraine expects to open both by the end of 2026 3.

Analysis
Hungary's veto leaves Ukraine and Moldova unable to open their last two clusters until Budapest changes course, and the working party has no mechanism to override a single member. It is unlikely that EU member states approve the screening results or formally open cluster 4 or 5 for Ukraine by December 31, 2026. Confidence is moderate: reporting on Hungary's unchanged position is consistent, but it traces to one Brussels correspondent citing unnamed EU diplomats, and Kyiv publicly claims a mutual understanding with Budapest while Hungary has made no visible concession. Blocking has shifted from clusters 2 and 3 to the final two, with the diplomatic assessment still "No change." Only a few working-party sessions and the November 26-27 Special European Council remain, so any movement must appear at the next COELA meetings. Hungary's request for more time, without new minority-rights demands, may be a managed delay it lifts once it extracts a concession elsewhere, which would make a December opening more achievable than the deadlock suggests. If approval fails, Ukraine's timetable slips into 2027 and Moldova's tandem track stalls with it.

3 sources