Hungarian Conservative

The Budapest Balkans Forum 2024 began with captivating discussions about the region’s future, featuring Hungarian government officials such as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, and Minister for EU Affairs János Bóka, among others.

In the midst of tensions among the Visegrád Group countries, Viktor Orbán spoke about the potential for a partnership between Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia. In what areas could these countries cooperate, and what difficulties might impede such a partnership?

One of the EU’s appeals is its ability to integrate economic regions in its immediate neighbourhood, where it can reap mutual benefits. This is also true for the candidate countries of the Western Balkans, whose future membership has geopolitical and security policy benefits in addition to economic advantages.

Orthodoxy is the second largest form of Christianity in the world, with some 200 million believers, Dr Noble highlighted in our interview, reminding that of the nine recognized candidate countries for membership of the EU, there six countries with an Orthodox majority.

As the enlargement process advances, the imperative to reform the European Union becomes increasingly pressing. Opinions are divided on how this should be achieved; the European Commission may soon unveil its own plans.

In a telephone interview with Hungarian state news agency MTI, Judit Varga, referring to Ukraine’s planned EU integration, highlighted that the Western Balkans countries have been waiting for EU membership for two decades, and called for an approach based on merit in the accession process, avoiding double standards and expedited pathways.

According to the ministry’s statement, the Hungarian Foreign Minister underscored that one of the main priorities of Hungarian foreign policy remains the acceleration of Western Balkan integration. Consequently, Hungary will dedicate particular attention to this goal during its upcoming EU presidency.