Europe Today: bővítésre készül az EU a sorsdöntő EU–Nyugat-Balkán csúcson

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Europe Today: bővítésre készül az EU a sorsdöntő EU–Nyugat-Balkán csúcson  Az EU és a nyugat-balkáni vezetők Montenegróban gyűlnek össze egy, az uniós bővítésre összpontosító csúcs előtt. A házigazda Montenegró éllovas, és akár már 2028-ban csatlakozhat az uniós blokkhoz. EU-szerkesztőnk, Maria Tadeo élőben jelentkezik Tivatból.  BŐVEBBEN : http://hu.euronews.com/2026/06/04/europe-today-az-eu-bovitest-tervez-a-nagy-tetu-eunyugat-balkan-csucson  Iratkozzon fel: Az Euronews elérhető 12 nyelven

Transcript

00:14Hello there, good morning. It is Thursday the 4th of June. I'm Maeve McMahon and this is Europe

00:19Today, your morning dose of European news and analysis, live here on Euronews. Coming up,

00:26Hungary is set to lift its two-year-long veto on Ukraine's bid to join the European Union after

00:32the Hungarian Prime Minister, Petr Maillard, announced a deal with Kyiv on minority rights.

00:37The news comes as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte holds a surprise visit in Kyiv and as EU

00:42leaders gather in Montenegro for talks on EU enlargement. We'll be live in TBAT. Plus,

00:48after talks in Washington, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to renew a fragile ceasefire. That's

00:54according to a joint US statement. Under the deal, Iran-backed Hezbollah would have to halt its

00:58attacks and remove operatives from the south. The announcement comes just hours after Kuwait

01:04International Airport suspended all commercial flights after Iranian drones caused severe damage.

01:09And bad news for Berlin. Despite lobbying hard, Germany has failed to secure a seat on the UN Security

01:17Council with Portugal and Austria receiving more votes for the two Western European seats starting

01:23in 2027. The last time Germany was on the UN Security Council was back in 2020. But first,

01:29European and some Western Balkan leaders are gathering in Montenegro ahead of a high-level summit

01:34focused on expanding the European Union. Montenegro, the host, is also a front-runner here,

01:41hoping to join the bloc as soon as 2028. Now, while not officially on the agenda,

01:45Ukraine will also dominate the talks. For more, we can go straight to the coastal town of TBAT,

01:50where our Europe editor, Maria Tadeo, is reporting live for us. Maria, great to have you with us.

01:55Look, we've seen, though, many, many meetings like this in the past with not a lot of deliberals.

02:01Will this time be different? Well, good morning, Maeve. And indeed,

02:07because if you look at the history of accession when it comes to the EU Western Balkans,

02:11it's one of delays, disappointment and frustration. But the message that the European institutions will

02:17deliver and the message that the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, will hammer down

02:21is that now there is real momentum. Because bringing these countries, the six-partner countries,

02:27closure to the European political union through the EU, is now a geopolitical imperative. It is

02:34also a need when it comes to the security infrastructure of Europe. Now, that is, as I say,

02:39the message that Antonio Costa, who will co-chair a dinner today, but also a summit tomorrow,

02:45will deliver. And he has been on a tour of the Western Balkans throughout this week. It is also no

02:50coincidence that this summit is happening in Montenegro, because this is a country that is now clearly seen

02:55as the front runner. Of course, 28 by 28. The idea that there could be a new member state in

03:01the

03:01European Union by 2028. And I can tell you just anecdotally, Maeve, yesterday when we landed in

03:08this country at the airport at dinner also, everyone knew and everyone was aware that this summit is

03:13happening. There have been many conversations that we had around the idea of joining, and it's pretty

03:17much taken as a given here. There is this aspiration to join this European Union. But of course, we know

03:23that this region is diverse and it is also complex. It's not the same message for every of the

03:28participating countries. But the message, as I say, from the institutions will be there is now real

03:34momentum. It is unimperative. Reforms are still needed both ways, by the way, not just the Western

03:39Balkans, but also within the European Union to get this done. And of course, there has been many ideas

03:44floated now thinking outside the box in many ways, still continuing to say that this is a merit-based

03:50process. It is based on heavy reforms, but also, as you know, multiple suggestions that

03:55perhaps you could look into memberships that go step by step. New countries that could join without

03:59the full rights, perhaps joining without a veto. The idea put forward by the German chancellor,

04:05who will be here alongside the French president of association with the European Union. And the

04:11capitals, of course, also matter because they will have the final say. This has to be approved

04:16unanimously. But as I say, going into the summit, the message very much from the European institution

04:21is there is real momentum. Now is the time to push forward and move forward. There is now an

04:26imperative to bring these countries closer to the Union. They cannot stay stuck in limbo. But as I

04:32mentioned, this is a complex scenario and this region is very diverse in its aspirations, but also the many

04:38challenges. Indeed, Maria. And just while you're there, there have been some developments overnight.

04:43Peter Mayer, the Hungarian prime minister announcing a deal on minorities between Hungary and Ukraine.

04:49Is Budapest about to lift its veto?

04:53Well, a major news overnight, as you say, because the Hungarian prime minister,

04:58Peter Magyar, has announced what he claims to be is a comprehensive deal between the Ukrainians and

05:04the Hungarians when it comes to the linguistical rights. He's talking about the educational rights,

05:10the political and cultural rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine. He says that because Ukraine

05:16has now agreed to implement some of these changes legally, Hungary will be in a position to lift

05:22its veto now going on for more than three years for formal negotiations for Ukraine to join the bloc

05:28to finally begin. This is a politically charged issue for both Hungary and Ukraine. For the Hungarians,

05:35as we should note for European viewers, this is seen as a matter of protecting Hungarians in Ukraine.

05:41For the Hungarian prime minister, it was very much about a domestic message that he is defending the

05:46rights of the ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine. And that was very much what Peter Magyar put out

05:51in a social media post yesterday saying, claiming that he has accomplished now more in three weeks than

05:57Viktor Orban ever did in 10 years. That referring to this deal with the Ukrainians,

06:02but also the package that was agreed with the European institutions last week,

06:06unblocking more than 60 billion euros in funding for the country. This also matters because it will

06:12have a knock on effect on Moldova. Moldova got stuck in this limbo between Hungary and Ukraine.

06:18They will now push through to and European sources telling Euronews last night that this is a win-win

06:24for everyone. It will be a win for Hungary. It will be a win for Ukraine. They speak of not

06:29just

06:29concessions on behalf of the Ukrainians. And they also say that this would point

06:33to a return of unanimity of 27 and the drop of constant vetoes by Hungary. The summit that will

06:40be taking place in mid-June is now being perceived and portrayed as a celebration of what European

06:45sources told us will reflect of a new European unity. And just briefly, Marie, if I may, how has Ukraine

06:51reacted?

06:54Well, look, Maeve, that is a fundamental question, because at this hour, at this point, we do not

06:59know what is in this deal. We have not heard from the Ukrainian president himself, Volodymyr Zelensky,

07:04but we did hear just this morning over the past 30 minutes from the Ukrainian foreign minister who is

07:10speaking of gratitude, gratitude when it comes to the European Union, but also signaling a new chapter

07:15in relations when it comes to Hungary. The prime minister of Ukraine also saying that this puts

07:20the country now one step closer to joining the European Union. But we should make one thing very

07:26clear. And this is extremely important, of course, for our viewers in your news this morning. This is

07:30not signal and does not mean that Ukraine will join overnight or that the path to membership will be

07:36easy. In fact, it will be very difficult, certainly in the context of the war with Russia and this

07:41potential peace settlement that may come up. But also because the Hungarians are indicating they

07:46will lift this veto and that is significant. But Peter Mader also took a hard line yesterday saying

07:51that he does not believe and does not support an accelerated membership and fast track for Ukraine.

07:57We know that is a position that many of the big member states also share. But he also indicated,

08:01even in the case, even if Ukraine manages to complete this very difficult, at times,

08:06towards his path towards reform, he will put this matter to a referendum before the Hungarian people.

08:12Okay, Maria, today we're putting it all in context for us there live from Montenegro. Thank you so

08:16much for joining us. And we'll be back again tomorrow with Maria with her exclusive interview with

08:20the EU Council President António Kosza. But Ukraine, staying in Ukraine, Russia has fired a massive drone

08:26and missile attack towards the country, killing 22 people this Wednesday. It comes in response to Ukraine

08:32targeting the city of St. Petersburg, as President Putin was hosting his annual economic forum,

08:37a bit like the Russian Davos. Ukrainian drones also struck energy and military sites in the Russian

08:42port city. This all as the NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was making his surprise trip to Kyiv.

08:48For more on all this, I'm joined here on set by our Ukraine correspondent, that is, of course,

08:52Sasha Vakilina. Good morning, Sasha. Just tell us, what was the purpose of Mark Rutte's surprise visit?

08:57First and foremost, to discuss the insufficient supplies of anti-ballistic

09:02air defense for Ukraine. Now, Russia knows very well that this indeed is one of those very rare

09:08gaps in Ukraine's air defense, because this is where Ukraine, of course, relies on the U.S.

09:13Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia has the capacity to produce 120 ballistic missiles

09:18per month. Now, just to compare, the U.S. producers have the capacity to

09:22to make 60-65 PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems. This is just half of what Russia

09:29can actually produce and launch at Ukraine. And this, of course, causes a very long

09:35waiting time for anybody applying for those missiles. Let's take a listen to what

09:39Demir Zelensky had to say. The waiting list for PAC-2, PAC-3, and certainly for the Patriot

09:49systems is measured in years. And so, to be honest, we wouldn't be able to receive this new delivery

09:56until around 2030. That didn't sit well with me. And it didn't sit well with our team. We discussed

10:03what alternatives we could find. This involves an agreement with certain countries to swap places

10:09in the queue where one country could give us its spot and we could take that spot and receive

10:14the systems earlier. Giving Kyiv's response and also Kyiv's development of homemade weapons. Zelensky

10:24also confirmed that Kyiv is once again asking the U.S. to provide Ukraine with the license to produce

10:31those anti-ballistic defense missiles. And Sasha, Mark, with his visit came yesterday,

10:35just as Ukrainian forces were striking the oil refinery in St. Petersburg, just as delegates

10:40were arriving for Vladimir Putin's economic forum. Yeah, indeed. That was a clear demonstration also

10:45of Ukraine's long-range striking capabilities, because that oil terminal is over a thousand

10:50kilometers away from Ukraine's border. And Ukraine specifically said that Volodymyr Zelensky

10:56insisted that this strike is justified also because Kyiv is targeting military and energy,

11:03specifically oil facilities. But also this proves big progress. This is something that was recognized

11:08by the Secretary General of NATO. Let's take a listen. Ukraine is now so successful that Putin is only

11:15able to organize a 9th of May parade with an official presidential decree by this president.

11:21So this is basically how far you got. And I think for two hours you allowed him to do it,

11:28and it would then end it in one hour and 55 minutes. So he didn't take a risk.

11:32Mark Rutte there speaking from Kyiv. And before that, of course, our Sasha Vakilina. Thank you so much for

11:36that update. But now, moving on after another round of negotiations, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to

11:43implement a ceasefire contingent on a cessation of Hezbollah fire and the removal of Hezbollah operatives from

11:50southern Lebanon. It comes as Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Arachi, says the U.S.-Israel war

11:55with Iran will only end when it also ends in Lebanon. For The View from Beirut, we're joined

12:01now by Ghassan Salami, a huge academic and political figure in Lebanon, currently serving as the Minister

12:07of Culture. Good morning, Minister. Thank you so much for joining us here this morning. So first question,

12:11the obvious one, what is your reaction to this agreement? Is it a genuine breakthrough or just

12:16another temporary pause in the fighting? We hope it's genuine. We had a ceasefire already

12:23on April the 16th. That was not implemented. So now the proof of the genuine nature of this new

12:32agreement is in its implementation. And therefore, the agreement is still fresh a few hours old. So it's

12:41probably too early to decide how serious it is. But we certainly take it seriously.

12:47And that's the problem. The previous ceasefire did not work with many calling it just an armed truce.

12:53It was not even a truce. I mean, hundreds of people have been killed during the six weeks,

13:00six past weeks after the announcement of the latest or penultimate ceasefire agreement. This new one

13:10has a direct commitment by the mediator, that is the United States. And it has a number of points

13:18that need to be implemented on the ground. We need also to have the two governments

13:26implementing it, each on his side. We are trying, we will be trying to implement our side of the

13:32agreement. And we hope that on the other side, where we hear some ministers in the Israeli cabinet

13:40already refusing the agreement, which is not very helpful. And we need also to have a common

13:50interpretation of the various paragraphs in the agreement. And I hope that some of the

13:57sort of far-fetched interpretations I heard this morning from the Israeli Prime Minister and the

14:03Minister of Defence are only for public consumption, not their real position.

14:10And of course, there's tension, isn't there, between President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu,

14:15and then Lebanon, you're stuck right in the middle? We are, we are. But without American pressure,

14:22we are not expecting the Israeli government to move forward towards such agreement. So it is under

14:32American sustained pressure that we can expect a real implementation this time.

14:39And will Hezbollah comply with the terms, do you think?

14:42They have been silent so far, but we expect them to express their position during the day.

14:50Because it's true that the agreement calls for a ceasefire on both sides,

14:55and for the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters from south of the Lithuania. We are expecting

15:02their reaction during the day.

15:04And just describe the damage done so far by Israel. The last time we spoke here on Europe today,

15:09you described it as an incursion.

15:13That's how they put it. But this incursion has been bloody. And as Minister of Culture,

15:20I should say that it also destroyed 60 villages entirely, flattened out. And a number of very important

15:33heritage positions have been also hit, including the Chateau du Beaufort, to which Lebanese are very

15:41attached. Not to mention the Shama position, which is a very important religious

15:52position in south Lebanon. So we hope that this time implementation will be serious.

15:58We are going to implement the government side of the agreement. We hope that we have a clear answer

16:09from Hezbollah during the day. And we hope that the Israelis don't over-interpret what's in it in a

16:17way that becomes unacceptable for us.

16:20Okay. Minister Ghassan Salameh, thank you so much for joining us here this morning on Europe Today Live,

16:24on Euronews. But now, moving on. Berlin is licking its wounds after failing to secure a rotating spot

16:32on the UN Security Council. For more on this big blow for Berlin, we're joined by our very own Stefan

16:37Krobe,

16:37who despite his German accent, or his American accent, excuse me, is actually German. You've got a

16:43wonderfully fluent English accent. Stefan, just tell us, you know, you are German, as I said. How are

16:48Germans reacting to this news?

16:49Well, I have to admit, Maeve, for Germany, this one hurts, right? Germany failing to win a seat on

16:56the Security Council is not just a diplomatic, an obscure diplomatic blow. For Germans, it feels like

17:04something bigger. It's a reality check. For years, Germans have told themselves that the country is

17:10one of the world's indispensable nations. It's Europe's economic engine. It's a champion of

17:17international cooperation, a country others look to for leadership. Yet, when the votes were counted at

17:24the UN, the world looked elsewhere. And perhaps Germans shouldn't be surprised. For too long,

17:30Germany assumed that its economic power would automatically translate into political influence.

17:36Germans believe that because they paid the bills, because they supported international institutions,

17:42and because they praised multilateralism, other countries would naturally back them. Yet, clearly,

17:49many do not. So, the uncomfortable truth is that Germany's international standing in the world may not

17:55be what Germans think it is. Of course, Germany remains a powerful country. One vote at the UN will

18:02not change that. But symbols matter in diplomacy. And this symbol, Maeve, was painful.

18:09It was painful. And also for Friedrich Merz, now the Chancellor.

18:13Well, look, for Friedrich Merz, the vote was absolutely embarrassing. Merz has made rebuilding

18:18Germany's international standing a central theme of his chancellorship. After years of criticism that

18:25Germany is hesitant, he has presented himself as a leader willing to put Germany at the center of world

18:34affairs. Now, losing such an important international vote is exactly that kind of setback opponents can

18:42point to as evidence that his strategy is not delivering any results. So, this failure at the UN only

18:50further weakens his domestic position in Berlin, which is already fragile and might fuel attempts

18:58within his own Christian Democratic Party, Maeve, to get rid of him.

19:02Okay. Stefan Grobe, thank you so much for that update there. And thank you so much for tuning

19:07in to us this morning on Europe Today. Any questions or comments or points on any of the stories we're

19:13covering? You can contact the team here at Europe Today at euronews.com. That is our email address.

19:18You can also listen to Europe Today as a podcast or read it as a newsletter. Thanks so much for

19:22tuning

19:22in. Stay with us here on Euronews.

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