Boka: EU not whole without Western Balkans

Boka said he had hosted the EU advisors of the Western Balkan countries’ heads of state and government in Szeged, in southern Hungary. During the two-day meeting they reviewed the status of their countries’ EU accession and the related plans of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU, he added.

He said they had discussed how to facilitate linking the region to European networks and the internal market, and that they had agreed that gradual integration presented mutually beneficial opportunities.

The reform and growth plans that will soon be approved and whose implementation will begin under the Hungarian presidency could give new impetus to the reforms needed in the Western Balkan countries, the minister said.

He said they had also discussed the dialogue on the rule of law with the EU candidate countries of the region.

Hungary aims to give new momentum to the integration process of the Western Balkans, Boka said. He said enlargement was one of the EU’s most successful policies, adding that it was critical to keep it merit-based, balanced and credible.

Hungary invites its partners for consultations within the framework of the EU-Western Balkans summit and the European Political Community for further expanding and deepening cooperation, he said.