Can EU invoke nuclear legal option against Hungary for blocking Ukraine membership? Denmark at it

First Post

03-07-2025

Denmark is pushing the EU to consider triggering Article 7—its so-called 'nuclear option' against Hungary for violating EU principles and blocking Ukraine's membership bid. As frustrations mount, the bloc faces a critical decision on whether to escalate action or risk further internal paralysis. read more
Denmark is urging the European Union to consider deploying its most powerful legal weapon Article 7, often dubbed the 'nuclear option' against Hungary for its persistent breaches of core EU principles and its obstruction of Ukraine's accession to the bloc.
'We are still seeing violations of fundamental values,' Politico reported Denmark's European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre as saying during a press briefing in Aarhus, where the European Commission is holding meetings as Denmark assumes the rotating presidency of the EU Council. 'That is why we will continue the Article 7 procedure and the hearing on Hungary.'
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Article 7 of the EU Treaty allows member states to sanction another member found to be breaching fundamental EU values. In its most extreme form, it could lead to the suspension of the offending country's voting rights within the EU. Though this step has never been fully implemented, it remains a looming threat and one that Denmark now wants to bring closer to reality.
Bjerre also suggested that the EU should consider restricting access to funding for members that defy the bloc's laws. Hungary has been repeatedly criticised by Brussels for eroding judicial independence, curbing press freedom, and weakening democratic institutions.
Ukraine's EU bid caught in crossfire
Denmark's frustrations are heightened by Hungary's continuing veto of Ukraine's EU membership process. With Kyiv's candidacy in limbo, Copenhagen is calling for all possible political and legal avenues to be explored in order to break the deadlock.
'We are willing to look at all political and practical solutions for us to move forward,' Bjerre stated, making it clear that Hungary's blockade is unacceptable.
If EU members choose to intensify the Article 7 process, Hungary could be stripped of its voting powers in key policy areas—including decisions on enlargement—thereby neutralising its veto over Ukraine's membership. However, any move to escalate requires solid backing from major powers like France and Germany, which have so far remained cautious.
Moldova as a potential workaround?
With Budapest showing no signs of relenting, speculation is growing that the EU might opt to advance Moldova's membership talks separately by initiating the first negotiation cluster, effectively decoupling Moldova's candidacy from Ukraine's. But Denmark is not in favour of such a split.
'It is still our goal to open cluster one together with Moldova and Ukraine,' Bjerre affirmed, stressing Denmark's commitment to a united enlargement strategy.
As the EU grapples with internal resistance and geopolitical urgency, the question now is whether the bloc is finally ready to wield its most extreme disciplinary tool or whether Hungary will remain a roadblock unchecked.
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