László Kövér said Hungary's recent EU presidency had aimed to ensure that "the enlargement process remains objective and authentic, based on (candidates') merits".
Olivér Várhelyi called enlargement a down payment on the bloc's future peace and economic prosperity.
The foreign minister said the bloc sorely needed new momentum, and this could be provided by Western Balkan countries.
"We promised to the Western Balkans countries twenty years ago that they will be given entry, and it is time to fulfil the promise," the prime minister said.
In 2024, the EU was committed to helping Ukraine with a total of 16 billion euros if that country met the bloc’s requirements.
Minister Szijjártó said the upcoming Hungarian presidency will focus on speeding up the EU’s enlargement process in the Western Balkans.
EU Affairs Ministers agreed that the EU had no exclusive jurisdiction on issues concerning the bloc’s fundamental values.
Minister Szijjártó noted that five Western Balkan countries had been waiting to join the EU “for 14 years and 10 months on average”.
The focus during accession talks would be on the actual performance of candidate countries rather than bowing to political pressure.
The foreign minister said energy cooperation is the “weakest link” in bilateral ties with Croatia.
Minister Szijjártó said the EU was gradually becoming weaker, falling to third place in the global GDP ranking last year, adding that Brussels appeared to be closing itself off rather than engaging in cooperation.
János Bóka said that rather than being driven by rational decisions, the European Union’s enlargement process is becoming increasingly politicized.
The foreign minister lamented that the EU had not admitted a new member in 10 years, that the bloc had not closed a single accession chapter with any of the candidate countries in six years, and that a new chapter was last opened two years ago.