According to Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, the European Union is in an increasingly bad shape for a number of reasons, one of which is the failure of the enlargement process.Continue reading
“Enlargement is in the security, economic, and political interest of the European Union,” said Lőrinc Nacsa, MP for the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP), in Brussels on Tuesday, following a meeting of the European Parliament’s (EP) Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) with delegates from the foreign affairs committees of national parliaments.
Lőrinc Nacsa argued that it is not only true that the European Union will be stronger with enlargement, but also that each month of delay weakens it.
“For Hungary, it is unacceptable that the European Union should be weakened by delays in the enlargement process.
From a security point of view, in times of war and in the face of the challenges posed by migration, it is in our fundamental interest that the Western Balkan countries join the EU,”
he said.
The KDNP deputy group leader pointed out that since Croatia joined the EU ten years ago, the number of EU Member States has fallen by one, which he said was a “shameful report card” for the EU.
He said that the Hungarian Parliament was sending experts to help the applicant countries meet the necessary criteria and was supporting the parliaments of the countries aspiring to join the EU through a number of programs. This is true for both the partner countries in the eastern and southern neighborhood of the EU, he stressed.
Hungary always keeps the issue of enlargement on the European Union’s agenda and proposes Schengen accession to non-EU countries. Its main goal is to speed up the enlargement process and to ensure that the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the EU does not suffer further delays, he added.
In a statement sent to MTI, Fidesz MEP Kinga Gál said that the EP Foreign Affairs Committee voted on its annual report on Bosnia and Herzegovina during the session.
She stressed that this report, like most of the reports on the Western Balkans, is insensitive to the complex problems of the region. Instead of being more attentive and sensitive, the adoption of such texts only exacerbates the conflicts in the region, she emphasized.
“Instead of helping to find solutions, the report is fueling tensions and worsening the relationship between the EU and the Western Balkans, which is a key issue for Europe,”
said Kinga Gál.
She claimed that it was incomprehensible and unacceptable that the report openly attacks Hungarian companies, and that it was initiated by “a Hungarian left-wing MEP,” Katalin Cseh, MEP of the Momentum Movement. Gál added that it was outrageous that the Hungarian left-wing MEP’s proposals attacked Hungarian companies operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina, demanding stronger control over them and unfairly confusing them with Chinese companies.
Via Hirado.hu; Featured image: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert