The four Visegrad countries (Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic) reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation with the Western Balkans and called on the European Union to view the region as an opportunity and a strategic investment.
“Today we adopted a declaration which establishes our common position that the EU enlargement policy is the most important tool for promoting security in the Western Balkans, which also means security in Europe,” declared Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, after a summit of the V4 and the Western Balkans in Prague. “We welcome the possibility in October to reopen negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, and we hope to accelerate negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro so that all these countries can become members of the EU before the end of 2027. “
A key role in the future of the Western Balkans will be played by the new European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, László Trócsányi, former Hungarian Minister of Justice.
“This is the best possible combination, because the commissioner comes from a country favorable to enlargement,” commented Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini.
“We don’t like a political vacuum,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. “If we don’t make an offer to the Western Balkans, others will, like Russia or China. »
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the admission of Western Balkan states would help combat illegal immigration.
“Migrants come from countries that are not part of the EU,” he said. “If the EU had not slept and accepted North Macedonia and Serbia earlier, we would not have so much immigration in Europe. The Western Balkans are not a burden but an opportunity for the EU.”
Notably absent from the summit was Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, who apparently withdrew from the meeting due to his election campaign commitments. However, comments by Czech President Miloš Zeman, who is reportedly considering withdrawing his country’s recognition of Kosovo, appear to be the real reason.
Energy security was another key topic of discussion at the summit, particularly because Ukraine’s natural gas transport contract with Russia expires in January and the region will need to consider diversifying its energy supplies.
Much of the V4’s gas currently comes from Russia via Ukraine.
“If a new gas crisis occurs, we will have to find other sources,” Mr Pellegrini said. “That is why we support the completion of the gas infrastructure between Slovakia and Hungary. On the one hand, it is important that the EU becomes a leader in the fight against climate change, but it is also important to be a model and encourage other countries to join us, otherwise we will not get the expected results.”
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Photo: premier.gov.pl
