The Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries and their Western Balkan counterparts took place under the auspices of the Hungarian Presidency of the V4 on 31 October 2013 in Gödöllő, Hungary.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania on behalf of the current Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the State Secretary of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, the Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey and the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs of the United States as special guests of this year, as well as the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy.

Minister Martonyi’s speech at the Visegrad Four (V4) and Western Balkans foreign ministers meeting in Gödöllő.

The participants emphasised the significance of the annual meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the V4 dedicated to the Western Balkans which has become a genuine consultative framework for the region during the course of the past five years.

The V4 countries demonstrated their strong and continuous support for maintaining the momentum of the enlargement process. The ministers underlined that the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU is in the mutual interests of both the EU and the aspirant countries. The enlargement process has a stabilising effect and a transformative power to the benefit of all partners. The participants shared the same view: the enlargement process needs to be credible and consistent and should remain based on the principles of conditionality and individual performance.

The participants exchanged views on the current situation in the Western Balkan region and welcomed the findings of the detailed and balanced Enlargement Package recently published by the European Commission, which offers a coherent strategy for the EU enlargement process in the coming year, emphasising, among others, the importance of economic governance and competitiveness.

The V4 member states welcomed the significant progress of Montenegro during the course of the accession negotiations. They expressed their support for the commencement of accession negotiations with Serbia no later than in January 2014, ideally soon after the adoption of a negotiation framework not including new conditions, as well as for the negotiations for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Kosovo*, while stressing the significance of the on-going dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the implementation of the agreements reached. In this respect, they have emphasised their continued support to the process and the work done by the EEAS and personally by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission Catherine Ashton.

The V4 countries attached great importance to the widest possible participation in local elections in Kosovo on November 3rd and emphasised that creating the necessary environment is important in that regard. The participants expressed their hope and support for overcoming the obstacles hindering Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s progress in its integration process by emphasising the need for a decision on the commencement of the accession negotiations. The V4 member states view positively the progress reached thus far by Albania and the recommendation of the European Commission to grant EU candidate status to the country in December. The V4 countries expressed their commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European future while voicing their concern over the lack of progress on its path towards European accession.

The Ministers took stock of the ongoing V4 activities directed at the Western Balkan region and explored the ways and means through which the Visegrad Group can more intensively support these countries on their path towards EU membership.

The V4 countries reaffirmed their readiness to share their experience of transition and European integration. Regional cooperation is a relevant instrument for fostering genuine dialogue, reconciliation, stability and prosperity while also being an important EU membership pre-condition for the Western Balkans. For this reason, the V4 countries attach great importance to the transfer of their know-how on cooperating within regional frameworks.

The full conference from October 31, in Gödöllő

The V4 countries endeavour to provide concrete project-based assistance to the Western Balkans. Within the framework of the Visegrad+ program, the International Visegrad Fund has already been increasing its activities towards the Western Balkan countries by financing the first projects submitted by non-governmental organisations from the region and will continue to do so with the aim of promoting European integration and values. Strengthening the rule of law and democratic governance remains crucial for the Western Balkans on their way towards accession to the EU. To this end the V4 countries, together with their Western Balkans partners, continue to develop the V4–Western Balkans Expert Network on the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights to promote the reform process and provide technical assistance with particular focus on public administration reforms and national institutions for the protection and promotion of human rights. In order to intensify local cooperation and encourage the development of effective regional cooperation among the countries and other stakeholders in the Western Balkan region, the V4 encourages the Western Balkan countries to step up preparations for setting up a regional fund based on the model of the International Visegrad Fund. The new fund would pursue grant-creation activities to the benefit of the local civil society by supporting projects within the fields of culture, science and education, and promoting cross-border cooperation and the capacities of civil society organisations.
The V4 countries underlined the importance of the continued contribution of NATO and the EU towards the stability and security of the Western Balkan region. The V4 remain firmly committed to NATO’s “open door” policy and will thus continue to support the endeavours of all countries of the Western Balkans that strive towards NATO-membership. Besides upholding their political support, the V4 countries remain prepared to do so by also actively sharing their own experience of Euro-Atlantic integration.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)