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Serbia ‘should have joined EU yesterday’, says Hungarian minister
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Hungary vigorously supports the speedy integration of Serbia into the European Union, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers and EU-Serbia intergovernmental talks in Brussels on Tuesday.
“If it were up to us, Serbia would have already joined the European Union yesterday,”
the minister said at a news conference.
The EU has opened four new chapters in Serbia’s accession procedure, Szijjártó noted.
At a time when the EU faces “historic challenges”, enlargement is “very good news; potentially a success story,” Szijjártó said.
The EU has opened 22 of the 35 chapters of the accession procedure with Serbia, he noted.
“We think at least twice as many should have been opened [at the talks] because we think Serbia is ready, and we are sorry that a consensus was impossible on the issue in Brussels,”
Szijjártó said, adding that Hungary was working to ensure that as many negotiating chapters as possible were opened in the future.
Because of Hungary’s proximity to the Western Balkans, the country is especially sensitive to the political situation in the region and is well aware of how important peace, progress and stability are in that area, the minister said.
“We can’t expect western European countries that are farther away geographically to have a similar sensitivity, but we’d like them to understand that the absence of peace and security in the Western Balkans poses very serious security, economic and geopolitical risks,”
he said.
Szijjarto argued that during a period of growing migration waves, illegal migration can only be stopped by the Western Balkan states if they are strong, integrated and capable of protecting their borders.
“If we fail to integrate a region, then someone else will,”
he said. Szijjártó criticised the EU for its “severe hypocrisy” in the matter, saying that while all member states supported the bloc’s enlargement publicly, western Europe’s resistance to it “behind closed doors” was slowing down the process.
After the mistake the EU made with Hungary’s membership….the EU will think twice before letting anyone in.
They don’t need another Orban for sure.
No, thank you.
The EU is scared that Serbia will not become a puppet of Brussels. It is only the small countries that realize the damage the Marxist policy of Brussels. Whether Serbia is in the EU or not, the V4 and it allies with treat Serbia as equal and important ally.
Yes. Serbia would high lite Brussels hypocrisies.
Serbia cannot be admitted while tensions continue with Bosnia. Basic stuff that anyone who reads the grown up news would know.
Every time foreign countries interfere, problems ensue. Serbians. now want to separate from Bosnia. Another mess created by interfering foreigners.