BRUSSELS -- EU Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner-designate Johannes Hahn has said there won't be any EU enlargement during his five-year mandate if he becomes the EU commissioner responsible for the portfolio.
Speaking at a hearing in the European Parliament on September 30, the Austrian echoed EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in saying that no new country will join the club this decade.
Hahn didn't say that this doesn't mean the enlargement process will be at a standstill and that enlargement negotiations will continue with countries such as Montenegro and Serbia.
Speaking about the Western Balkans, Hahn said the region cannot be a blank spot in Europe when it comes to transport and energy infrastructure and underlined that the EU would work to connect the countries in the region.