Overview

• European Council President António Costa is lobbying EU leaders ahead of an informal summit in Copenhagen to advance Ukraine’s accession despite Hungary’s veto, according to diplomats cited by Politico.
• His proposal would allow opening negotiating clusters by qualified majority vote, while the closing of clusters would still require unanimous approval by all member states.
• Current accession practice demands unanimity at each stage, enabling Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government to block progress for Ukraine and leaving Moldova stuck as well.
• EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos arrived in Ukraine for a three‑day visit to confirm the EU’s commitment and to mark completion of the screening phase.
• Kos’s program focuses on minority rights in Zakarpattia, decentralization, rule‑of‑law and anti‑corruption meetings, and EU‑funded recovery projects, as Kyiv moves into the benchmark‑setting stage of talks.