Budapest/Novi Sad, 27th February – President of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Bálint Juhász , and Vice President of the Assembly, Aleksandra Maletić, participated today in Budapest at the 12th Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of South East European Countries, traditionally organised every second year by the Speaker of the Parliament of Hungary.
Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić led the delegation of the Republic of Serbia at this important gathering. In the presence of the Speakers of the Parliaments of South East European countries and the Visegrád Group, Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, also addressed the participants.
In his address, President Juhász expressed his gratitude to the Speaker of the Parliament, László Kövér, for traditionally organising this conference and thereby contributing to the strengthening of dialogue, as well as to Hungary for its continuous and consistent support to our country.
“The enlargement process is credible only if it is merit-based and if reforms deliver tangible progress. Although Serbia is
implementing reforms and opening chapters, European integration is currently stagnating. In this process, Vojvodina has a special role as a bridge between Serbia and the European Union, as well as between cultures, economies and institutions,” Mr Juhász stated, emphasizing that dialogue and cooperation are the foundations of development in South East Europe.
The second part of the conference was dedicated to “Opportunities for Economic Development and Increasing Competitiveness in the Region.” President Juhász underlined that in 2025, Serbia’s export in goods exceeded 33 billion euros, of which EUR 10 billion originated from Vojvodina, indicating that the region represented an economic hub.
“In Vojvodina, 104 industrial zones are operating, the processing industry dominates exports, while modernised agriculture and the food industry supply European markets. With clear logistics, infrastructure, and strategic planning of digitalisation, the green transition and artificial intelligence, Vojvodina is positioning itself as a competitive region in South East Europe,” President Juhász stressed.
Speaking about the challenges facing Europe, the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, emphasized that the situation in Ukraine and the energy crisis were increasingly burdening the economies of EU Member States, thereby narrowing the space for enlargement. He conveyed to countries in the accession process that they should not abandon their European path, but rather strengthen their own development strategies while maintaining European ambitions.
The conference, in which the Assembly of AP Vojvodina participated as an honorary guest, was also attended by representatives of the parliaments of the Republic of Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with the presidents and representatives of the parliaments of the Visegrád Group countries, as well as delegations of regional parliaments and representative bodies.
The Conference participants signed a joint declaration reaffirming strong support for EU enlargement and for accelerating the European integration process of South East European countries. There were highlighted the importance of reforms, the role of parliaments, regional cooperation and the gradual integration of candidate countries into the EU, alongside a call on Member States to expedite the enlargement process.
The Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of South East European Countries is an initiative of the Hungarian Parliament and has been held in Budapest every second year since 2003.