Europe would be strengthened by enlargement in the Western Balkans

At today’s plenary session of the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, assessed the current state of the Union. In a written statement, Fidesz MEP Deli Andor emphasized: “The success of the European Union’s interests in the global political arena is a crucial factor in assessing the state of the European Union. Unfortunately, we need to see that Europe is constantly losing ground. However, the Western Balkans is a part of the world where the EU could strengthen its position quickly and easily by accelerating enlargement.”

The MEP from Vojvodina highlighted: “The EU, in order to be a strong player on the world political stage, needs to be strong on its own land, in Europe first. Each wave of enlargement so far has brought new energies and momentum. Enlargement in Central and Eastern Europe has not only created Europe’s internal unity, but also strengthened its global position. Enlargement in the Western Balkans, led by Serbia, a key country in the region, would do the same. This candidate country is patiently waiting for its turn and will stick to the path of European integration, despite the fact that it will now be in its tenth year of candidate status next year and will unfortunately not end the accession process soon.”

“The primary reason for the slowness is that skeptics of enlargement are constantly hiding behind the criteria set during the accession negotiations, deliberately postponing strategic decisions on the basis of a wide range of domestic policy reasons and interests. However, time is running out. I hope that we will hear more determined political views in next year’s speeches”, concluded MEP Deli.