Budapest Balkan Forum 2024 has started – UPDATE

The two-day Budapest Balkans Forum 2024, organised by the Hungarian Institute of Foreign Affairs, started on Tuesday. This year, it will focus on energy and the Western Balkans.

After the opening speech by Márton Schőberl, CEO of the Hungarian Institute for Foreign Affairs, two Hungarian ministers, János Bóka, Minister for European Union Affairs of Hungary, and Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Minister of Defence of Hungary, expressed their views on the Balkans’ importance, ethnic and security issues of stability, and the relationship between the EU and the Balkans.

Bóka: Balkans ‘has always been part of Europe’

The natural resources of the Western Balkans have been crucial in terms of Hungary’s energy security, János Bóka, the European affairs minister, said at the international Budapest Balkans Forum.

Referring to Hungary’s upcoming EU presidency, Bóka said its priorities would include promoting the EU integration of the Western Balkans. The EU “is not as strong in the Balkans as it could be; this is why we want to put the region in the limelight,” the minister said.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the minister of defence, who also participated in the forum, said the Western Balkans was going through a process of stabilisation, but also noted “tensions under the surface that could lead to further friction”.

Stability in the region is highly important for Hungary, he said, and noted Hungary’s presence in NATO’s KFOR mission.

After a short break, a Ministerial roundtable entitled “Securing energy, Energizing security” was held:

• Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary
• Ahmet Berat Çonkar, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Türkiye
• Dubravka Đedović, Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia
• Igli Hasani, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania

Szijjártó: Energy security must not depend on political, ideological whim

Hungary refuses to imperil its energy supply by giving in to any political or ideological whim, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said on Tuesday.

Addressing the 9th Budapest Balkans Forum, Szijjártó said the Balkan region was vital to Europe’s energy security, adding that supply should be regarded as a physical rather than an ideological issue.

He said diversification would remain a pipedream unless words were followed by action.

He said that Hungary would gladly buy crude oil or natural gas from new sources, but the infrastructure had yet to be built, so existing suppliers and transit routes must be relied on.

The minister said existing suppliers should be supplemented by new sources in the diversification process rather than replaced.

Szijjártó praised the price and predictability of current gas supply and expressed appreciation for Serbia and Turkiye as “reliable transit countries”.

He said adding European infrastructure on the South-East axis would be necessary. Still, the European Commission “doesn’t want to provide financial support for this”, arguing that gas would no longer be part of the energy mix in 15 years’ time.

“Who knows what will happen in fifteen years?” he said. But in the meantime, “we don’t want to freeze, and we want to keep our industry going,” he added.

Szijjártó said increasing LNG imports did not depend on Hungary alone but on expanding Balkan capacities.

Regarding sustainable energy production, he said Hungary favored protecting the environment but rejected any attempt to form a political or ideological monopoly over green policymaking. He added that preserving the planet for future generations should be treated as a practical matter rather than approached ideologically.

Also, protecting the environment must go hand in hand with boosting competitiveness, he said.

Szijjártó said Hungary was focusing on developing solar and nuclear energy. The government wants to double the 6,000 MG of solar capacity that is now available, while the Paks nuclear plant expansion would entail reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by 17 million tonnes.

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Read here Budapest Balkan Forum Agenda