Hungarian FM: EU integration of West Balkans is a ‘huge economic opportunity’

szijjártó foreign minister hungary
Budapest, 2018. március 1. Szijjártó Péter külgazdasági és külügyminiszter beszél a Külügyi és Külgazdasági Intézet és a Konrad Adenauer Alapítvány budapesti irodája által szervezett Nyugat-Balkán konferencián 2018. március 1-jén. MTI Fotó: Máthé Zoltán

The European Union integration of the Western Balkan countries presents a “huge economic opportunity” for the bloc, while it could pose “a serious problem” if they do not join the EU, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday.

The economies of the Western Balkan countries are growing at a rate equal to or greater than the average EU growth rate, Szijjártó told a conference organised by the Hungarian bureau of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

Touching on the security aspects of the Western Balkans‘ EU integration, the minister said if the region proved stable as part of the EU, the bloc would have a far greater chance of halting the migration wave facing the continent.

The integration of the Western Balkan region is one of the EU’s biggest challenges, Szijjártó said. He said he was “shocked” to read the European Commission’s report putting the timetable for the accession of Montenegro and Serbia at 2025.

featured image: MTI

Source: MTI

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