Deal reached to open EU accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova After hours of talks among the EU’s 27 leaders, the European Council president, Charles Michel, has announced that the bloc’s leaders have “decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine & Moldova”. The leaders have also granted candidate status to Georgia, he said, and the EU will open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina “once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is reached and has invited the commission to report by March with a view to taking such a decision”. “[This is] a clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent,” Michel said. ‘You just have to keep your mouth shut’, Belgian PM says Belgium’s prime minister, Alexander De Croo, drew attention with comments reacting to Viktor Orbán’s decision to leave the room while leaders made their decision on Ukraine. You know, a decision of the council is a decision that binds that binds 27 countries. I think these are the rules of the game and everyone knows that these are the rules of the game. If you decide, and you agree to that decision – which is what the 27 in the room did – then you should not afterwards say: ‘Well, I have a different opinion on this.’ Or, if you’re a part of a decision, you agree with the decision, or afterwards you just have to keep your mouth shut. De Croo started to walk away then said: I should not have said that. ‘Mixed bag’ Katalin Cseh, a Hungarian member of the European parliament from the opposition Momentum party, said today’s decision was a “mixed bag”. Ukraine & Moldova proceeding to accession talks: historic The Commission falling for a dirty blackmail: pathetic Orban *leaving* the room: deplorable Let’s focus on the first one— a new chapter for the EU. The MEP Philippe Lamberts, co-president of the Greens group in the European parliament, welcomed the news that the EU would open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova. EU leaders have avoided the worst possible outcome and managed to show support to Ukraine by opening accession talks. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has backed down from his threats of a veto over Ukraine. However, if this is the result of a €10bn bribe then this is an unacceptable way for the EU to do business. Donald Tusk, in his first European Council summit since returning to the prime minister’s office in Poland, said: “I dedicate our today’s decision on enlargement to your heroes who gave their lives for an independent and European Ukraine.” European leaders have come to an agreement on the 12th round of sanctions against Russian individuals, public bodies and corporations involved in supporting the war in Ukraine. Details have not been released but the European Commission’s recommended package included proposals to choke off the commercial revenues earned from the Russian diamond trade and against individuals such as the son of Dmitry Medvedev. In its official communication on European Council conclusions on Ukraine, enlargement and reforms, EU leaders merely state: “The European Council welcomes the adoption of the 12th package of sanctions.” Here is the full statement. “Ukraine will never be alone,” Emmanuel Macron said in a social media reply to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who had thanked the French leader for “support that France has provided to Ukraine on this path.” Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote: “Germany stands firmly by Ukraine’s side - as long as it takes.” Hungarian official hints at future obstacles for Ukraine Balázs Orbán, prime minister Viktor Orbán’s political director (no relation), has underscored that there will be a host of unanimous decisions ahead related to Ukraine’s path toward EU membership. “Following extensive negotiations, Hungary opted to exit the meeting room and abstain from the vote—not to obstruct the outcome but to avoid cooperating in what we perceive as a misguided decision,” he said in a social media post. The political director added: The European Council’s agreement represents a decision in principle. Subsequently, Member States must also unanimously agree on the specific negotiating framework. Additionally, a minimum of 70 unanimous decisions will be required throughout the upcoming years to endorse Ukraine’s accession to the EU. European Council president Charles Michel said he called the leaders of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. “Your future lies within our EU family,” he said. What does the summit mean for Ukraine? While there is a recognition that the accession process could take years, in Kyiv, the EU decision to open talks is seen as a game-changer. “It means so much to Ukrainian people,” said one Ukrainian official. “We did everything to make it happen,” the official said, adding: “All the government and MPs are just happy, all our efforts and dreams were not destroyed by one of Putin’s friends. And we are grateful to EU leaders.” What does the showdown with Orbán mean for the EU? Hungary’s prime minister ultimately relented and left the room when leaders decided to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova. But the EU’s dramatic showdown with Orbán did serve as a reminder of the tough road ahead for the EU as it prepares to enlarge. The bloc already grapples with how to address rule of law problems and foreign policy divergences in countries such as Hungary, and many leaders recognise that the EU would have to reform internally before expanding. At Thursday’s summit, leaders also debated the EU’s budget as some member states resist paying more into the bloc’s coffers – another reminder of the challenges ahead if the EU accepts new members that will take up a significant chunk of budget spending. What does the summit mean for Orbán? For weeks, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán insisted that he would block the move, which formally requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states. His veto threats dominated conversations in Brussels cafés, as diplomats shook their heads and asked, what does he really want? And what do we do? The European Council president, Charles Michel, flew to Budapest to try to bring the Hungarian leader on board. French president Emmanuel Macron hosted Orbán in Paris. In a last-minute effort, Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz were among the senior leaders who sat down with the Hungarian leader. Meanwhile, in a move critics have described as a bribe, the European Commission unfroze around 10 billion euros earmarked for Hungary, arguing that the country successfully completed judicial reforms. In the end, after hours of talks on Thursday, Orbán relented – walking out of the room while the other 26 leaders agreed to start negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, thus allowing for a unanimous decision. Nevertheless, the days of uncertainty and diplomatic campaign to bring Hungary onboard highlighted that despite his high profile on the European stage, Orbán is a lonely figure – at least for now. “Orbán achieved what was to be expected - he got self-isolated, by his own choice,” said a senior EU diplomat. There is speculation that Orbán may be betting on a strong performance for the European far-right in upcoming elections, biding his time for when more like-minded leaders might sit around the table. But the Hungarian prime minister’s ultimate decision to seemingly back off a threat he had publicly repeated for days puzzled even some of his own colleagues. “Nobody understands what’s happened,” admitted a Hungarian official. ‘We will write the future together,’ European parliament president says Roberta Metsola, president of the European parliament, said: “This is a proud moment for Europe. For Ukraine. For Moldova. For everyone fighting for our values. “We kept our promises. Now we will write the future together.” Read Orbán"s justification for his decision to walk out and allow EU to open Ukraine talks Here is Viktor Orbán’s video with English subtitles. His full statement: We have been at the negotiating table for almost eight hours here in Brussels at the prime ministers’ summit. We are having a big debate about Ukraine’s membership in the European Union. Hungary’s position is clear: Ukraine is not prepared to start negotiations on EU membership. It is a completely senseless, irrational and incorrect decision to start negotiations with Ukraine under these circumstances. And Hungary will not change its position. On the other hand, 26 other countries insisted that this decision be made. Therefore, Hungary decided that if the 26 decide to do so, they should go their own way. Hungary does not want to share in this bad decision, and for this reason Hungary did not participate in the decision today. Negotiations continue with the amendment of the budget. ‘New page’ for Moldova, president says Reacting to the European Council decision to open EU accession talks with Moldova, the country’s president, Maia Sandu, said: “We’re feeling Europe’s warm embrace today.” ‘Powerful’ decision, Michel says after leaders reach deal Speaking to reporters, the European Council president, Charles Michel, said: “We will open negotiations and a report will be issued in March, and based on that we will make a decision in March.” He added: This is extremely important we want to support Ukraine. This is a very powerful political signal, it is a very powerful political decision and today and tonight I think to the people of Ukraine – we are on their side and this decision made by the member states is extremely important for the European Union. Asked how the decision was taken given Orbán’s threat to veto the green lighting of the negotiations, he referred to the rules of the European Council that requires unanimity for these kinds of decision: We worked a lot to protect the European Council. It was important no member states would oppose the decision and that is why we were in the position to make this announcement tonight. EU leaders celebrate deal on Ukraine and Moldova After deciding to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, EU leaders are expressing their enthusiasm that an agreement was reached. ‘Proud’ to live up to promises, von der Leyen says The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was “proud that we have lived up to our promises and delighted for our partners”.