Hungary welcomes start of Albania, North Macedonia EU accession talks

Hungary welcomes the start of Albania and North Macedonia’s accession talks to the European Union, and is proud to have had an active role in this achievement, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday.

Briefing the press after an EU’s General Affairs Council (GAC) video conference, Szijjártó welcomed the member states’ agreement on starting the talks, calling it a “huge success for Hungary”.

Hungary has supported the EU’s enlargement for several years, and provided “real, concrete” help to Western Balkan states in the accession process, Szijjártó said.

He also noted that the EU’s commissioner responsible for enlargement, Hungary’s Olivér Várhelyi, had proposed a new enlargement method to expedite the process.

The GAC has now expressed political support for that method, Szijjártó said.

Hungary has long seen Albania and North Macedonia as ready to start the accession process, he said.