The further expansion of the European Union should remain a strategic target, Minister of State for EU affairs Enikő Győri said on Tuesday after a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg.

Hungary was represented at the meeting of the General Affairs Council by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Tibor Navracsics and Ms Győri, who has been in charge of EU affairs for a longer period. After the meeting, the Minister had to travel to Brussels to attend the NATO foreign ministers meeting.

Ms Győri statedafter the council meeting that Hungary was among those member countries that want further EU expansion to be considered a strategic issue.

Commenting on a decision to give candidate status to Albania, she said this demonstrated that expansion was an organic process and "if there is good performance, there is recognition for it."

"EU action is needed where it is guaranteed to produce added value and is more efficient than action at a national level," she said on the strategic document currently being prepared.

Strategic plans focus on economic growth and job creation, she said. Energy policy and climate policy are also areas where the usefulness of joint action has been identified, she added.

"We accept that economic policy coordination is unavoidable within the euro zone but we would like to see real distinction between measures that affect the euro zone and those that affect non euro zone countries," she said. Hungary has never debated common objectives but always called for more maneuvering space in crisis management, she added.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)