TIRANA, June 18/ATA/- All Visegrad Group countries have declared their commitment to the enlargement of the EU and NATO, with a focus on integrating the Western Balkan (WB) countries, the euractiv.com writes.
According to Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s Foreign Affairs minister, “the more members we [the EU] have, the stronger we are”.
For all 6 WB states, EU accession is the primary foreign policy goal. Integration is a sine qua non for the region’s democratic development, peace and future prosperity.
The 6 WB countries account for just 18 million people and have a GDP equalling Slovakia’s, so theoretically it should not be a big deal to accommodate them in the 500-million EU.
WB enlargement should be indispensable for the EU if it truly wants to – as Jean-Claude Juncker said – “export stability” and be “an architect of tomorrow’s world”.
V4 has been very vocal about finally turning words into deeds with respect to the EU southern enlargement. Two arguments back this determination – first, solidarity and second, economic and security strategy.
“We want to share our experience gained during systemic and economic transformations and our accession to the European Union” – Polish Foreign Affairs minister Jacek Czaputowicz comments.
Czech MFA Tomáš Petříček recently called for the EU to open negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. “Both countries have made progress and should be given an opportunity to take the next step,” he said.//a.i/
