Following the Summit, the Hungarian Prime Minister held talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.Continue reading
The opening of the first chapter of the EU accession negotiations with Albania is of historic importance, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade said in Luxembourg on Tuesday.
Speaking after the second intergovernmental conference between the European Union and Albania, Péter Szijjártó said that the Hungarian Presidency‘s agenda focuses on accelerating EU enlargement with the Western Balkan countries. He noted that the majority of Member States say that enlargement should be a merit-based process.
In the case of Albania, the merits are tangible: be it economic, political, or social, the politician said. “It is clear that Albania has done very well in terms of the conditions that the European Union has put forward in order to be able to open the negotiating chapters,” he explained.
The Minister stressed that it was a great privilege and honor for Hungary that substantive negotiations with Albania had started under the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
He recalled that the last time preparations for the accession of a candidate country, Croatia, were completed was in 2011, during the first Hungarian Presidency.
In his speech, Szijjártó, who chaired the second EU-Albania intergovernmental conference, stressed that Hungary, which is in the immediate neighborhood of the Western Balkans, is pursuing a responsible neighborhood policy. He said that the integration process contributes to making the Western Balkans more developed, stable, and secure. This is why Hungary is committed to accompanying Albania on its path towards the European Union, he stressed.
At the press conference, Olivier Várhelyi, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, expressed his gratitude to the Hungarian Presidency for opening the accession chapter.
PM @ediramaal has been committed, engaged & delivered on all requirements, w/ specific actions building up trust among the EU-27 in the last yrs.
Today’s opening of the 1st Cluster is a huge step as now negotiations on all other 5 Clusters can start.
https://t.co/1bilacyDAR pic.twitter.com/EHcD7rzCDV— Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) October 15, 2024
The presidency has started its six-month term with the EU not only treating enlargement as a political priority, but also making huge efforts to move the institutional process forward, he explained.
Thanks to the Hungarian Presidency, it is now beyond question that enlargement is among the top three priorities for the EU and its leaders,
he said.
Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, said that for his country “there is no other future and no other way” but the European Union. He stressed that there is no Plan B, only belonging to the European Community. It is the only way, he underlined. The Albanian Prime Minister thanked the Hungarian EU presidency, which he said had played a very important role in advancing the accession process.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Bodnár Boglárka