The Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Hido Biscevic, held a series of meetings in Budapest today with officials of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the context of Hungary’s takeover of the Presidency of the European Union (EU) on 1 January 2011.

The RCC Secretary General met with Parliamentary State Secretary Zsolt Nemeth, Deputy State Secretaries Peter Szataray and Balint Odor, RCC National Coordinator and Head of Department for the Western Balkans Janos Huszar, as well as Heads of Departments for EU Enlargement and EU Foreign Policy of the upcoming Hungarian EU Presidency.

The meetings discussed the situation in South East Europe and priorities of the Hungarian Presidency, especially in relation to further EU enlargement.

The Hungarian officials highlighted the importance of the RCC, pledging a continued support to the organization. They said a priority of the Hungarian EU Presidency is to have each enlargement country in South East Europe make a step forward towards EU integration; with a hope Croatia would conclude its accession negotiations during the Presidency tenure.

Secretary General Biscevic informed his Hungarian counterparts about regional priorities in the context of the RCC Strategy and Work Programme 2011-2013.

He stressed the importance of maintaining the EU enlargement momentum in South East Europe, as well as advancing regional recovery and development, especially in the fields of transport and energy infrastructure, through concrete transnational projects.

During the visit to Budapest, Secretary General Biscevic also delivered a presentation at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs on EU Enlargement and Remaining Challenges in South East Europe, and held a lecture at Robert Schuman Institute’s Alumni Conference.