– Ukraine is not ready to join the EU, independent MEP Balazs Hidveghi said in a Facebook video after an EP meeting in Strasbourg. He highlighted the apparent determination of Brussels bureaucrats to push through Ukraine's accession into the EU at any cost, without a comprehensive debate or consulting the people. - Our position is clear: we believe that neither Ukraine nor the European Union is ready for this, therefore any discussion on Ukraine's accession is untimely at this point," he said.
A hasty and ill-considered decision would be detrimental to the EU as a whole, he added.
Ukraine is currently at war, with unclear borders and population figures, and a country at war is unsuitable for EU admission.
Furthermore, Ukraine falls short of meeting the conditions required for accession. Notably, it does not ensure equality and unrestricted language use for minorities, which is a serious violation of the rights of Transcarpathia's Hungarian population. Double standards should have no place in the EU enlargement process, the MEP emphasized.
Brussels also remains silent on the grave financial implications of Ukraine's potential accession to the EU. Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has received 40 billion euros in aid in the form of loans and guarantees from the EU alone. This is more money than Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia have collectively received over seven years," Balazs Hidveghi pointed out. - If Ukraine was to join the EU, it would receive an estimated €61 billion from the Cohesion Fund. This would render at least nine member states, including Hungary, ineligible for funding, immediately transitioning them into net contributors," the MEP concluded with this assessment.
We are convinced that initiating these negotiations at present is not only against Hungary's interests but also goes against the broader interests of Europe.
We urge Brussels to prioritize a thorough strategic discussion with Member States on Ukraine before attempting to push through Ukraine's accession without the engagement of the European people,
– MEP Hidveghi has said.
