Hungarian justice minister: Strengthening Western Balkans cooperation crucial for Europe’s security

Cooperation with partners in the Western Balkans is vital to Europe’s security and competitiveness, Bence Tuzson, the justice minister, said at a meeting of his peers from the European Union and the Western Balkans in Montenegro on Tuesday.

Tuzson highlighted the EU’s commitment to pursue “a merit-based enlargement policy” in the region and welcomed “serious progress” taken recently in the accession process of some countries such as Albania and Montenegro. He said the start of accession talks with Albania was “a very big achievement”, adding that four crucial chapters of the process have been concluded with Montenegro.

Closing as many issues as possible with candidates is a commitment taken by the Hungarian EU presidency, Tuzson said. “It is not an easy process… It is difficult to make decisions while it is important to both retain your identity and meet the EU’s requirements,” he said.

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