At a professional roundtable discussion held on April 30 by the EU Section of the Hungarian Economic Association (HEA), P\u00e9ter Bal\u00e1zs\u2014former Minister of Foreign Affairs, former European Commissioner, honorary member and former Vice President of the HEA\u2014Zsolt Becsey, Associate Professor and former Member of the European Parliament, Vice President of the Section, and Ambassador P\u00e9ter Mocs\u00e1ry, EU integration advisor to the Government of the Republic of Serbia, analyzed the prospects and broader context of the European Union\u2019s enlargement toward the Western Balkans. The discussion was moderated by G\u00e1bor Iv\u00e1n, Director at the Council of the European Union and President of the EU Section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was noted at the event that four of the region\u2019s six countries\u2014Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia\u2014have already opened accession negotiations with the EU, but progress has been slow and protracted. P\u00e9ter Bal\u00e1zs pointed out that although the region is surrounded by EU member states, this circumstance has so far led to tangible and effective cooperation in only a few policy areas. Participants agreed that in the accession processes of the Western Balkan countries, political factors\u2014rather than technical issues\u2014play the decisive role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n