Speaking after an official visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fidesz MP Judit Varga, who also heads parliament’s European Affairs Committee, said she had attended a meeting of female politicians, discussing EU enlargement. The foreign minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković and the head of the Ministers’ Council also met with the participants, she told the Hungarian news agency MTI in a telephone interview on Wednesday, 4 October.
In the coming days, the European Commission is set to evaluate EU candidates’ progress in complying with earlier requests, she said. After that, the European Council is going to weigh further decisions regarding enlargement, she added.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, which received its candidate status last December, could be green-lighted to start accession talks, MP Varga said, then adding that
enlargement policy will be a priority of Hungary’s EU Council presidency in the second half of 2024.
The war in Ukraine gives new weight to regions, she highlighted, noting that ‘Hungary sees Bosnia and Herzegovina as a partner and supports its accession.’
She then went on to call on the EU to disburse convergence funding to Western Balkan countries in advance, and to grant access to development funds earlier than usual. ‘We can’t let all resources flow to Ukraine, we need to ensure the development and security of the Western Balkans, too,’ she said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó has also spoken out in favour EU expansion to the Western Balkans recently—he urged the accession of North Macedonia and Albania in September during talks with Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani in Budapest.
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Sources: MTI/Hungarian Conservative
