Following a meeting of CEI heads of government in Budva, Montenegro, on Friday, Finance Minister Mihály Varga said three member states of the Central European Initiative (CEI) are among the European Union’s five fastest-growing economies.
A ministry statement cited Minister Varga as saying that Hungary and the EU have a vested interest in integrating the Western Balkans. He also said that during Europe’s energy crisis, Hungary’s top aim was to ensure a reliable and affordable energy supply. Although government measures already shield private consumers from rising energy prices, the government is always open to competitive solutions to expanding the resources and routes of energy supply, he said. To that end, Hungary also supports strengthening ties between CEI countries, he said.
Regarding migration, Minister Varga said uncontrolled illegal migration posed health, security, economic and cultural risks. From the very beginning, Hungary’s stance was clear, he said: help should be taken to where it is needed, and managing migration was not an adequate solution. Hungary has strengthened border protection and calls on the EU to increase funding for that purpose, he said. The EU should cover half of the costs of the countries protecting the EU’s external borders, he said.
Photo credit: Facebook/Varga Mihály