It is the responsibility of Central Europe to emphasise the advantages of the European integration of the Western Balkans and to not allow „enlargement fatigue” to spread across the whole European Union, MFA Deputy State Secretary for Global Affairs and Political Director Szabolcs Takács declared at the Krynica Economic Forum in Poland, on September 4.

Szabolcs Takács stressed that the integration of the Western Balkans was in the interests of Hungary from a political, an economic and a security policy perspective.

It would be a negative message towards the states of the Western Balkans if the EU integration process slowed down, and consequently, public support for EU membership were to drop in these states, Takács Szabolcs pointed out. The public in these countries is currently in favour of EU membership, but this will change if they have to wait too long, he added.

The Hungarian Deputy State Secretary noted that representing Hungary at the Krynica Economic Forum was particularly important because Hungary currently holds the Presidency of both the Visegrad Four Group and the Central European Initiative (CEI).

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)