CURRENT AFFAIRS

HUNGARY'S EXPERIENCES IN EU INTEGRATION

BELGRADE, Feb. 2 (Tanjug) – Ambassador of Hungary in Belgrade Oscar Nikovic compared the present situation in which Serbia is when it comes to Kosovo with the situation in which Hungary was when it joined the EU.Hungary was then asked to sign an agreement with Slovakia which would clearly state that it had no aspirations to its territory, even though no part of its territory had been within the Hungarian borders for years, Nikovic recalled.Nikovic believes that Kosovo is no longer actually within Serbia.Addressing a panel on Hungary's present foreign and internal policies held at the Institute for European Studies, the ambassador spoke about the experiences of his country in EU integration.Speaking about the benefits that Hungary has had from the membership in the EU, the Hungarian ambassador emphasized that membership is basically successfull.The balance of eight years of membership is more positive than negative, Nikovic said.Speaking of the benefits of membership, he pointed to the opening of borders of other countries to employment of Hungarian workers, the possibility of education abroad, agricultural development and EU funds and financial security.Membership in the EU, as he pointed out, does not mean giving up one's identity and no one is asking Serbs to do that.However, he emphasized that the preservation of identity is not the same inside and outside the EU.When an individual joins a community, he must give up certain privileges, he said.