Varhelyi: Speed up EU integration of Western Balkans

European commissioner-designate Oliver Varhelyi said on Friday that the process of integrating Western Balkan states into the European Union should be accelerated. At a parliamentary European affairs committee hearing, Varhelyi said that as a commissioner he would work on a proposal to launch accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia before next year's summit in Zagreb. Varhelyi, whose nomination as commissioner for the neighbourhood and enlargement portfolio was accepted by the European Parliament earlier this week, said the portfolio was "full of challenges". He said his aim was and always had been to "contribute to Europe and strengthen European cooperation".