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Mogherini: Gymnich - opportunity to discuss not just celebration of Eastern Partnership, but also ways to progress
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini stated on Thursday, prior to the informal meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the EU (Gymnich), that this meeting represents a good opportunity to discuss not only the celebration of the Eastern Partnership, but also the manner in which progresses can be accomplished.
We will start the discussions with the ministers on the Eastern Partnership topic. It is an important priority for the Romanian Presidency [at the EU Council]. It is also an important priority for the European Union in its entirety and we will celebrate this year 10 years of Eastern Partnership, with the positive developments that we noticed. There are also certain difficulties that are persisting. Therefore, it will be a good opportunity to discuss not just about the manner in which we celebrate, but also about how we can make progresses in relation to the partnership with our Eastern partners, Federica Mogherini stated.
Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu also referred to the enlargement process topic. "In respect to the Western Balkans, we will try to organise certain events. We are carrying out a discussion with the candidate states and try to encourage them, and, we hope for the European Commission to be able to make a decision about the enlargement policy by early May," Minister Melescanu stated.
Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Szijjarto stated on Thursday in Bucharest, prior to the informal meeting of the foreign affairs minister of the EU (Gymnich), that the Western Balkans states should be integrated in the European Union at a much faster pace than currently.
When asked if he maintains his point of view in respect to the fact that the states of the Western Balkans should join the EU by 2025, he said that Serbia and Montenegro should deserve to become members of the Union even faster.
"It's very important that the enlargement process continues. We are unsatisfied with the pace at which this enlargement process unfolds, because we believe that the Western Balkans states should be integrated at a much faster pace than is currently the case. We believe that both Serbia and Montenegro should deserve to become members of the EU well before 2025. Usually, we ask the Commission this question: why does it take so long? We believe that the accession process of these states could and should be accelerated, and they should become members of the EU much faster that 2025. It is a matter in the EU's economic and security interest. Unfortunately, for some reasons, the Western-European states and the European Commission don't understand this matter as they should. We, the Central-Europeans, the Romanians, the Hungarians, the Poles, living in the vicinity, we understand it much better. But I believe that this is geography," he mentioned in a press statement.