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Hungary argues Ukraine should be behind Balkans in EU train
(MENAFN) Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has argued that Ukraine should not join the European Union before countries in the Western Balkans, as it would undermine the merit-based nature of the EU's integration process. Several Western Balkan nations have been waiting for their EU accession for over 20 years.
At the Budapest Balkans Forum on Thursday, Szijjarto criticized the EU's current state, pointing out its economic and security challenges. He also accused certain EU countries of hypocrisy, claiming they publicly support enlargement but secretly block it when the matter is discussed seriously.
For a country to become an EU member, it must meet the same criteria and follow the same process. Currently, nine countries, including those from the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey, and Georgia, are candidates. Five Western Balkan countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia—have official EU candidate status.
The war in Ukraine has led the EU to reevaluate its enlargement strategy. Recent developments include the restart of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, as well as granting Bosnia candidate status. EU leaders, including Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, have warned that delays in the Balkans' EU membership could lead to increased Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022 and was granted candidate status in June 2022. However, the country faces significant challenges, including implementing governance reforms, combating corruption, and aligning its laws with EU standards. EU officials have not set a clear timeline for Ukraine's membership, though former European Council President Charles Michel suggested that it could join by 2030, provided all conditions are met. Hungarian leaders, however, have expressed concerns about Ukraine's swift EU integration, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban calling it "unthinkable."
At the Budapest Balkans Forum on Thursday, Szijjarto criticized the EU's current state, pointing out its economic and security challenges. He also accused certain EU countries of hypocrisy, claiming they publicly support enlargement but secretly block it when the matter is discussed seriously.
For a country to become an EU member, it must meet the same criteria and follow the same process. Currently, nine countries, including those from the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey, and Georgia, are candidates. Five Western Balkan countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia—have official EU candidate status.
The war in Ukraine has led the EU to reevaluate its enlargement strategy. Recent developments include the restart of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, as well as granting Bosnia candidate status. EU leaders, including Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, have warned that delays in the Balkans' EU membership could lead to increased Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022 and was granted candidate status in June 2022. However, the country faces significant challenges, including implementing governance reforms, combating corruption, and aligning its laws with EU standards. EU officials have not set a clear timeline for Ukraine's membership, though former European Council President Charles Michel suggested that it could join by 2030, provided all conditions are met. Hungarian leaders, however, have expressed concerns about Ukraine's swift EU integration, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban calling it "unthinkable."
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