Orbán says EU enlargement is priority of Hungary’s presidency, but makes no mention of Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has named EU enlargement as one of the priorities of Hungary's presidency of the Council of the European Union, but he made no mention of Ukraine in this context.

Source: a speech by Orbán in the European Parliament outlining Hungary’s priorities for the presidency, as reported by European Pravda

Details: As he spoke about enlargement, Orbán focused entirely on the Western Balkans and placed particular emphasis on the need for Serbia to join the EU.

Quote: "EU enlargement is one of the key points of the Hungarian presidency. We need a merit-based approach to enlargement, and it should remain so." 

Details: According to Orbán, the Hungarian presidency is firmly convinced that the accession of the Western Balkans should be speeded up.

Quote: "This is a key issue for Europe, for its economic, political and geopolitical integration. For the benefit of the EU, we must focus on Serbia in particular. Unless Serbia joins the EU, we cannot stabilise the Balkans.

As long as Serbia is not a member of the EU, the Balkans remain an unstable region."

More details: Orbán also noted that several Western Balkan countries technically already meet the accession criteria, and the obstacles that remain are political ones.

Background:

• Hungarians have been reported as being less open to EU enlargement in 2024 than in 2023, and they are particularly sceptical about Ukraine's potential membership.
• Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has said that Moldova's EU accession should be separated from that of "problematic" Ukraine.

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