Diplomatic sources say Hungary is threatening to derail the opening of accession negotiations.

The European Commission has told EU member states that both Ukraine and Moldova have met the necessary criteria to kick off formal negotiations on their accession to the bloc.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has injected a new sense of urgency in the EU’s enlargement policy, with Kyiv and Chișinău both granted candidate status just months after Russian tanks first entered Ukrainian territory in February 2022.

But the accession process is notoriously long, with countries required to meet a series of judicial, constitutional and economic reforms before they can progress onto the next stage of their path to EU membership.

Ukraine has completed outstanding reforms related to stifling oligarchs and corruption, and protecting the rights of its national minorities, a Commission spokesperson confirmed on Friday, while Moldova has tied up pending its judicial reforms.