The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Péter Szijarto, expressed serious criticism of the process of enlargement of the European Union, in particular in connection with Ukraine and Moldova. According to him, the issue of the readiness of these countries to join the EU should be considered separately, as there are "serious problems" related to Ukraine.
At a press conference in Chisinau, held together with his Moldovan counterpart, Sijarto said that each candidate country should be evaluated separately. He stressed that he does not agree that the accession process of one country should depend on the situation in another, which could deter faster candidates.
Szijarto pointed out the violation of the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, in particular, the limited access to their culture and native language. He also noted that Ukraine has created unprecedented energy challenges for Hungary and Slovakia, which, in his opinion, is unacceptable for a country seeking to join the EU.
The Hungarian minister also criticized the hypocrisy of some EU countries in the enlargement issue. He noted that many countries publicly support enlargement, but often oppose it in closed sessions, focusing on the quality of entry instead of speed.
Szijjarto emphasized that Hungary, presiding over the EU Council, intends to fight against this hypocrisy and supports EU enlargement. The next Polish presidency will also be focused on enlargement.
