At the joint press conference in Brussels alongside Prime Minister Edi Rama and Marta Kos, the Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Szijjártó stated, “After six months of efforts, I can proudly say that we have achieved a historic milestone, both for us and for the expansion of the Schengen area to include two other countries, which will help accelerate our efforts and the pace of enlargement policies and accession for the Western Balkan countries.”

“Under the Hungarian Presidency, we have managed to accelerate enlargement, and as far as we are concerned, we are neighboring countries of the Western Balkans, and we understand very well the concerns of the region. We also fully understand the importance of stability, peace, security, and development in the Western Balkans,” he said.

“We have been waiting for integration for nearly 15 years, and this is simply not right. These countries deserve our respect, yet this process has been consistently delayed with no real progress. For almost 15 years, we have seen no meaningful actions or significant steps toward enlargement. Therefore, we strongly believe that all Western Balkan countries should now be part of the European Union,” Szijjártó emphasized.

“For the past 15 years, you have heard about the merit-based approach, which has been implemented, although its progress has been slow. In the last 6 months, however, we have made every effort to speed up the enlargement process,” he said.

As far as Albania’s progress is concerned, Szijjártó highlighted, “Since 2009, Albania has submitted its membership application. In 2014, it was granted candidate status, and in 2022, negotiations began, with the foundation of these talks laid this year under the Hungarian Presidency. In just two months, we’ve held two intergovernmental conferences with two clusters opened at an unprecedented pace. More progress has been made in these last two months than in the previous 15 years combined. So, I can proudly state that this marks a milestone for Albania, the Hungarian Presidency, and the EU.”

“Albania has made an outstanding progress in the 6 chapters that will be part of this cluster, such as foreign relations and security. That is why we are opening this cluster today, so that Albania can move forward, as it is a NATO member and part of the Security Council,” he emphasized.
“When we talk about clusters, I believe this cluster is important to open,” said Szijjártó, adding, “It is in our common interest that this country succeeds and achieves its goals. It is important both for the countries of the Western Balkans and for Albania itself.”

“Albania’s membership would strengthen the EU, considering the economic progress it has made,” said Szijjártó.
“Hungarian companies are now operating in the Albanian market, including one of the largest telecommunications companies, which plays a key role in the Albanian economy. We became EU members many years ago, and drawing from our experience, the Albanian and Hungarian governments recently signed an agreement to train public administration employees,” said Szijjártó.

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During the joint press conference with Prime Minister Rama at the end of the EU-Western Balkans summit on the growth plan, Varhelyi was asked if the EU will allow Greece to impede Albania’s integration and when a decision is expected to be made on the next step when the EU itself is in the runup to elections.

He said that in Brussels there is agreement on the fact that Albania is ready to open accession negotiations for the first cluster.

“Your works have shown how far you have come. Suffice it to remember where we were in October 2019 and see where we are now. So, I don’t think there are people in Brussels who do not agree on Albania’s achievements”, said Varhelyi.

“Also, we agreed in Brussels on the fact that Albania is ready to open negotiations for the first cluster. And the European Union will have to be able to make this decision. No matter how technical it may be as a process, and which is simply the next step, I can understand why we cannot make this decision. Although I fully understand the importance of good neighborly relations, good relations with neighbors. But such good relations cannot be built with the neighbor, in case you impede the other to move forward”, stressed Varhelyi.

“But still we are trying to help and we hope that in the coming months we will hold that meeting or the next intergovernmental conference so that we can move on to real negotiations. We would like to open the negotiations for the first cluster which are fundamental rights, the rule of law, and maybe there we can discuss these fundamental rights, once the negotiations are opened”, concluded Varhelyi. /a.g/sm/