European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso confirmed in Budapest on Friday that he would contribute as much as possible to the accomplishment of one of the goals of Hungary's European Union presidency - the completion of Croatia's EU accession talks.
I would like to affirm our commitment to the prospect of Croatia becoming an EU member. We will provide all the possible support to achieve the goal of Croatia's admission... We are determined to work hand in hand with the Hungarian Presidency to ensure its success, Barroso said after meeting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
A delegation of the European Commission arrived in Budapest on Friday for a meeting with the Hungarian government which on January 1 took over the rotating six-month presidency of the EU.
Addressing a news conference, Hungarian PM Orban reiterated that the completion of Croatia's EU membership talks was among the main priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency, which ends on June 30.
I believe that EU enlargement does not only mean admission of a new member, in this case Croatia. It is about how the EU sees its future, whether it is self-confident, whether it has medium-term vision, whether it believes that the entire region, which geographically is part of Europe, can become a part of the EU. Enlargement optimism and encouraging that optimism is a very important task for Hungary. It is in the interests of the entire Union, notably central Europe, that the Balkans is consolidated and stable. The Hungarian EU Presidency therefore supports Croatia's membership, it supports the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area of free movement, and it believes that Serbia should be offered a clear prospect of EU membership, Orban said.
