Promoting negotiations with the EU candidate countries, including Ukraine and Moldova, is Denmark’s priority during its presidency of the Council of the EU, which it is taking over from Poland. Carsten Gronbech-Jensen, head of Denmark’s EU Delegation, told reporters in Brussels.
Asked about the possibility of Moldova’s separation from Ukraine – there is no objection from any of the member states regarding Kishinev’s progress – the ambassador said that there is an inclination for a simultaneous process.
“We want to move forward simultaneously with Ukraine and Moldova, and we are now reasoning about how to do that. There are legal and political constraints and if I share with you our considerations, I am not sure it will help us move forward… hopefully we can do it, but it is not easy,” Gronbech-Jensen noted.
The diplomat declined to go into details on exactly how Hungary will be tried to convince Hungary or bypass the Hungarian veto, but reiterated that this is a priority of the presidency.
“Unfortunately, there is no doubt that we don’t have the support of all member states and that is the problem: whether we can find ways to convince those who are sceptical or to advance in other ways – I don’t know. But it will be a priority for us,” Gronbech-Jensen summarised.
Hungary blocked the opening of the first negotiating cluster with Ukraine at the EU summit on 26 June, despite the European Commission’s conclusions that Ukraine was ready for it.
Viktor Orbán, who has previously complained about the observance of the rights of national minorities in Ukraine, emphasised that he now sees the problem in the war. He said, “if we integrate Ukraine into the European Union, we will integrate war”.
In October 2024, the European Commission concluded that Ukraine had fulfilled all outstanding steps identified in its 2022 opinion.
The European Council decided in December 2023 to start negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova’s accession to the European Union. The countries were granted candidate status for accession to the European Union in June 2022.