Netherlands against plan to accelerate talks on Ukraine's EU membership

Caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof told parliament on Tuesday that the Netherlands is opposed to the proposal by EU chief António Costa to speed up negotiations with Ukraine on joining the European Union. “This is not the solution,” the prime minister stated.

Ukraine has to meet a number of conditions before joining the EU, but Hungary is blocking the start of negotiations on these points. To start these talks, unanimity is required, and Costa now wants to move away from that. He believes a qualified majority should be sufficient, which would bypass Budapest’s veto.

During a debate ahead of Wednesday’s informal EU summit, Schoof said he opposed the proposal. He stressed that the Dutch cabinet remains committed to the Copenhagen criteria and the unanimity requirement they entail, adding that any rule change itself would also demand unanimous support.

While noting that he “appreciates” Costa’s efforts, Schoof argued the real solution is to step up pressure on Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has argued that Ukraine’s EU membership would constitute a “war integration,” strengthening his stance. Hungary also conducted a national consultation, with 95% of respondents opposing Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

In addition to the Netherlands, France and Greece are also cautious about the proposal to break unanimity. President Emmanuel Macron has expressed support for Orbán’s position, making it harder to achieve a qualified majority for Costa’s proposal.

Kati Piri (GroenLinks–PvdA) and Laurens Dassen (Volt) welcomed Costa’s initiative, with Piri calling it “logical” to explore ways around Hungary’s veto. Meanwhile, the VVD and NSC rejected the proposal. Isa Kahraman (NSC) described it as “unacceptable,” and Thom van Campen (VVD) referred to the Copenhagen criteria as “sacred preconditions.”