Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said the European Union should prioritise the accession of Western Balkan countries before considering Ukraine’s membership, arguing that the region has waited for years while making sacrifices and fulfilling obligations demanded by Brussels.
Speaking in Vienna to the Austrian news agency APA, Magyar said Ukraine’s possible accession to the EU was not realistic in the near future and, if it happens at all, would not be possible before the next decade.
“It is not only Hungary’s position, but the shared opinion of almost every EU member state government that there cannot be two separate accession procedures,” Magyar said.
“Everyone who wants to join the EU must go through the same procedures and fulfil the same conditions,” he added.
The Hungarian prime minister said the EU should first honour commitments made to countries that have spent years preparing for membership, warning that otherwise Brussels could lose credibility in the Western Balkans.
He said the stability and security of the Balkans were not only regional interests but also crucial for Europe as a whole.
“This is why I would encourage everyone to first jointly fulfil our previous obligations before making different promises in the name of the European Union,” Magyar said.
The comments come at a time when frustration is growing across the Western Balkans over the slow pace of EU enlargement despite years of reforms and concessions by candidate countries including North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Magyar also said Hungary would hold a referendum if Ukraine eventually fulfilled accession conditions and maintained its interest in joining the bloc after the war.
He stressed that Hungary would not be alone in consulting citizens on EU enlargement issues, noting that several EU countries had previously organised referendums on accession matters.
On migration policy, Magyar aligned Hungary with Austria in opposing parts of the EU migration and asylum pact, particularly provisions requiring member states either to accept asylum seekers during periods of mass migration or contribute financially.
“Hungary will naturally not accept this,” he said.
Magyar added that Hungary was prepared to continue helping protect the EU’s external borders, saying Budapest had already contributed to such efforts.
The remarks are likely to resonate in parts of the Western Balkans, where leaders increasingly fear that geopolitical considerations linked to the war in Ukraine could overshadow their own long-delayed EU ambitions.