State Secretary for EU Affairs Szabolcs Takács received Jadranka Joksimovic, Serbian minister without portfolio responsible for EU integration on 31 August 2016. Minister Joksimovic stressed that her visit to Budapest has symbolic significance. As a minister of the recently formed new Serbian Government, this is her first official visit abroad which is intended as a gesture in the strategic cooperation between the two countries.
At the meeting the parties discussed, inter alia, Serbia’s status in the process of integration, laying particular emphasis on the challenges which Serbia will have to face upon the opening of the chapters of the EU accession talks. Mr Takács reassured his Serbian partner that Hungary is committed to supporting Serbia’s EU integration efforts, as part of which a Hungarian expert has assisted the work of the chief negotiator and the negotiating delegation in Belgrade as of 1 March 2015. Serbia continues to rely on Hungary in connection with the opening of further accession chapters. Mr Takács highlighted that Hungary supports an approach that is based on the results achieved also in the case of the EU’s enlargement policy, and intends to provide every assistance for Serbia which is a leader in the department of achievements.
The parties agreed at the meeting that the European Union’s enlargement policy must be kept on the agenda also in the future as it is essential for the stabilisation of the Western Balkans region. Jadranka Joksimovic confirmed that the Serbian party highly appreciates Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s policy, and the fact that he firmly stands up not only in the interest of Hungary, but also in the interest of the Western Balkans region. Tangible proof of this is that Hungary offered police units to the Serbian border guarding forces. In the context of migration, the parties reviewed the events of the past year, and the changes which have occurred on the Western Balkans route. They agreed that the exchange of information between our countries is of the utmost importance and must be maintained on an ongoing basis.