Kos: Opening of first cluster of talks on Ukraine's accession to EU to help Hungary resolve issue of national minorities

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos believes that the opening of the first cluster in Ukraine's negotiations on accession to the European Union will help Hungary, which is blocking this process, deal with the issue of national minorities.

“Ukraine has done its homework, so it's ready for cluster one fundamentals to be open. And now the Council has all the elements to make a decision,” she told reporters on Tuesday in Brussels, arriving for a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

Kos said that last week the European Commission had submitted two more screenings to the European Council on the second and sixth clusters for Ukraine and Moldova. “And if we go on with the speed like until now, we will be able to do all the screenings until the autumn time. And this will be also a message for Ukraine. Stay strong, keep fighting, keep defending or keep fighting anti-corruption, and of course also take care about the rule of law. So it's very important that we also give a message to Ukraine,” the European Commissioner detailed.

Touching on the issue of Hungary blocking the opening of negotiations due to the issue of national minorities, she noted that the issue of protecting minorities is fundamental and important for the European Union. “It is a very important part of the negotiations. That's why, in my opinion, it would be really good if we could open cluster one fundamentals, which will give Hungary the opportunity to get all the answers or to deal with the concerns they have with their minority in Ukraine,” Kos explained.

The European Commissioner stressed that Ukraine's security and the continuation of Ukraine's accession process to the EU “will also secure on the long term the security in Europe.” “I want to be clear, it is not only about the security of Ukraine, it is about the security of Europe, of the European Union,” she said.