Ukraine's path to EU will be tough, with or without Hungarian hurdle

Kyiv told it needs reforms in various sectors, and must align its laws with EU standards

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Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a European Union leaders' summit in Brussels on June 27. Ukraine needs the backing of all 27 EU countries to become a member, but Budapest is blocking it from moving to the next stage of accession negotiations.

(PHOTO: REUTERS)

Senior European Union officials who visited Ukraine have delivered a stern message to Kyiv that it has a lot more to do to secure membership, while they work on overcoming Hungary's opposition to Ukrainian accession.

Ukraine needs the backing of all 27 EU countries to become a member, but Hungary is blocking it from moving to the next stage of accession negotiations, citing concerns including the language rights of ethnic Hungarians.

Hungary's stance has frustrated other EU states, and the bloc's enlargement commissioner Marta Kos led a charm offensive in Ukraine last week, meeting the Hungarian minority in the country's west to try to ease tensions.

For many people in Ukraine, the prospect of EU membership represents a beacon of hope for a prosperous future, more than three decades after it won independence from the Soviet Union.

In 2014, a pro-Russian president was ousted by mass protests after trying to divert Kyiv away from seeking EU membership, and Russia's war in Ukraine has made EU accession even more attractive for pro-Western Ukrainians.

But an attempt by Kyiv over the summer to curb the independence of key watchdogs alarmed many European governments and put a spotlight on the reform challenges facing Ukraine, which needs to align its laws with EU standards.