On Tuesday, Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs Janos Boka met Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution Karoline Edtstadler in Vienna for bilateral talks on EU enlargement, strengthening EU competitiveness and the situation in the Middle East. After the talks Janos Boka told a press conference that
EU competitiveness will be the central focal point under Hungary's EU presidency.
All other priorities will be derived from that, and Hungary sees Austria as a reliable partner in that aim, he said.
Regarding the bloc’s enlargement, Hungary's stance has always been unequivocal, he emphasized. "If the EU used its resourcefulness to advance the enlargement process rather than to hinder it, the countries of the Western Balkans would have become members long ago," Boka noted. On the matter of Ukraine’s accession, the member states must conduct an "open and honest" strategic debate before making the decision, he said.
Cover photo: The flag of the European Union (Photo: Pixabay)
