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Based on the European Commission's latest evaluation, Hungary may be at the forefront of the EU economic growth ranking this year. A growth of 2.4 percent is predicted for the Hungarian economy, which is significantly higher than the EU average of 1.3 percent, Minister of Finance Mihály Varga said in a statement to MTI in Brussels on Tuesday.

Mihály Varga attended a meeting of EU finance and economy ministers in the Belgian capital. Outlining the Council's agenda, he said that Member States are emphasizing competitiveness and striving to put Europe on a growth path.

According to the Minister of Finance, it is good news that the latest economic forecast of the European Commission predicted a 2.4 percent growth of the Hungarian economy by 2024. Still, he added that the Hungarian government expects a higher growth, 3.6 percent. "We are very confident that all of this will go hand in hand with improving competitiveness," he emphasized.

Regarding the financing of 50 billion euros for Ukraine over four years, the Minister of Finance said the Hungarian position is that the instrument should be evaluated annually, in the framework of which the EU Commission assesses the demand for funds and their utilization, leading to decisions on the following year's disbursement.

"We ended the meeting with the hope that at the EU summit on February 1, the Hungarian proposals would also be considered when a final decision is made on the instrument. We must strive for the European Union to develop a solution acceptable to all Member States, just like it did so far." - said Mihály Varga.

Source: MTI-Hungarian News Agency

The main driving force behind the proposal for new sanctions against Russia appears to be the compliance, with several EU Member States wanting to be seen to act, Foreign and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Brussels on Monday.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the minister said in a press conference after the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting that the main driver behind the new sanctions package proposed by some against Russia is the need to comply.

"So several EU Member States want to give the impression of action, and I think that is the number one guiding principle," he said.

He underlined that on January 29th, he would meet his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba and the head of the Kyiv Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, in Uzhhorod (Ungvár, UA) and will try to work through all the issues that are causing difficulties in bilateral relations today.

In his words, this is also linked to the fact that Hungary still needs to contribute to the payment of another 500 million euros from the European Peace Facility for arms supplies to Ukraine.

"Here we said that we are willing to consider releasing this aid if we get guarantees that Ukraine will not discriminate negatively against more Hungarian companies or cause them problems by putting them on the list of international sponsors of the war without any merit or reason," he recalled.

"We will see if we can move forward next Monday, January 29th," he added.

The minister then reiterated Hungary's position on the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, saying that the European Council in December had taken an "incorrect, wrong and damaging decision," for which Hungary does not wish to accept any responsibility.

"And this will continue to be our position. Of course, we understand that they are trying to discredit this position; they are putting pressure on us, sometimes by saying that the position is not tough enough, sometimes by other means, but we are not affected by this. We have sworn to represent the national interest, and the pressure they put on us in this case sofar has not impacted the Hungarian position whatsoever," he stated.

In connection with next week's extraordinary EU Summit, he confirmed that the Hungarian government would not be a partner in "mixing things that are not related to each other." "That's why it's not worth contacting us in a bazaar-style with different options; things that have nothing to do with each other, shall not be mixed" he said.

Szijjártó also pointed out that his Israeli counterpart took part in the discussion of the relevant agenda item of the meeting too, during which several of them expressed critical views on Israel, which were very far from the Hungarian position.

He emphasized that there was no heated debate; instead, the Israeli foreign minister highlighted the need for cooperation, firmly standing by his country's national position.

Source: MTI-Hungarian News Agency

Hungary will remain uninvolved in the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, but will not block other EU Member States from doing so, adding that the Hungarian government refuses to bear any of the financial burden of this, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Monday in Brussels.

According to a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Minister said at a press conference following the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting that the situation in Ukraine was a key item on the agenda, and the discussions had made it clear that the spirit this year remained the same old “war psychosis” of Brussels.

He complained that  Member States still refuse to abandon their failed strategy despite failures have been proven over the past few weeks.

"This strategy has failed; there is no solution to this war on the battlefield. The more people die, and the greater the level of destruction will be, the longer this war lasts," he emphasized.

He called the new proposal of the European External Action Service disappointing to allocate a 500 million euro budget for arms delivery to Ukraine within the frames of the European Peace Facility this year, which would be later extended on a yearly basis.

Though he said it was a notch softer than the previous proposal, the approach remained the same, and it would reaffirm the community's long-term commitment to the war.

He also said that Hungary should contribute with 23 billion forints to this project according to this proposal.

“Giving a new momentum to weapon deliveries is completely unacceptable for Hungary. Hungary has never delivered weapons, and has no intention to do so in the future. We are not willing to participate in any kind of decisions that contributes to the increase of arms shipments," he underlined.

Szijjártó added at the same time, that the government can't and won't prevent other Member States from supplying weapons, noting that they are accountable to their citizens.

Let's say why millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of euros were not provided to support different social groups, for example, farmers, but for arms supplies. It will be everyone's decision, and each government must be accountable to its electorate," he said.

"Today, I took the position that Hungary will not participate in arms transfers, we will not prevent others from doing so, but at the same time, we are not willing to bear any financial burden because of the arms transfers of others," he said.

"I asked them to consider that, try to cook with that, and prepare a decision accordingly," he continued.

"We will definitely not spend another 23 billion forints of Hungarian taxpayers' money in a single year to send weapons to Ukraine, which will prolong the war, extends the suffering, and brings more deaths and more destruction ", he concluded.

Then he argued that instead of all these proposals, the EU should open communication channels, achieve a ceasefire, and start peace talks between the parties.

"According to our point of view, this is the only acceptable position on a moral basis, as it is the way to save human lives, including Hungarian lives," he said.

Finally, the Minister also reported that there were discussions about a thirteenth package of sanctions against Russia. Even though, the previous restrictions mainly harmed Europe, and they did not bring us any closer to a settlement.

"Of course, if one brings this up, as I regularly bring it up, one will be immediately be accused of spreading Russian propaganda," he declared.

He also warned his colleagues against extending sanctions to the nuclear industry, as Hungary will not support any such measure.

In this context, he pointed to the controversy of Russia becoming the number one supplier of uranium to the United States last year, with reports of import more than a billion dollars.

Source: MTI-Hungarian News Agency

The success of Israel's anti-terrorist operations is a global interest, as it would help to ensure that a similar terrorist attack never happened anywhere ever again, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on Monday in Brussels.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized at a press conference following the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting that Hungary's position is crystal clear: we must not forget what triggered the conflict of the Middle East.

"A country woke up one morning, more than hundred days ago, of being fired by thousands of rockets, and hundreds of people being abducted, hundreds of people being killed in a beastly way," he recalled.

He underlined that the success of Israel's counter-terrorism operations is a global interest, as it can help the world to ensure that such terrorist attacks are never repeated anywhere, ever again.

"Therefore, we find Israel’s objective to destroy Hamas not only understandable, but also legitimate, and of a global interest (...)Those who use people, especially women and children, as human shields after committing a terrorist attack against a country, should feel shame", he stressed.

"It is a global interest to return to the Abraham Accords as soon as possible, namely to the normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world," he added.

At the Council meeting, Szijjártó confirmed the Hungarian position on two issues. "First and foremost, we call for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages who are still in captivity," he said.

In this context, he added that one Hungarian citizen was still being held captive, and was hopefully alive.

He also underlined that the government remains in constant contact with Qatar and another important mediating country, adding that he would not name the country due to the sensitivity of hostage negotiations."I also made it clear that Hungary considers the Hague proceedings against Israel to be nonsense. It is nonsense to accuse of genocide a country that has been the victim of a bestiary terrorist attack," he said.

Finally, the Minister said that Israel had asked Hungary to allow the Jewish national football teams to play some of their official matches in the country, as they did last year.

He informed, that Hungary would host Israel's European Championship play-off match against Iceland, the Israeli under-21 team's match against Poland, and the next official match of the women's national team. Also, the Hungarian government supports Maccabi Haifa to play their next European Conference League match in Hungary.

"Everyone is safe in Hungary, and I think it has been fully proven recently. So those are obviously lying, who still say that anti-Semitism is rising in Hungary." he said.

Source: MTI-Hungarian News Agency

Great hungarian success at the previous day's special summit of the European Union, the government managed to implement each of its objectives - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on Friday in Brussels.

According to the Ministry's statement, the Minister responding to questions of journalists at the press conference organized after the EU-India-Pacific ministerial forum, underlined that they were able to achieve that "funds due to Hungary according to European treaties and withheld contrary to them cannot go in Ukraine".

By being a part of the joint decision, we managed to prevent the funds frozen and not handed over to Hungary suddenly ending up in Ukraine. On the other hand, by being a part of the joint decision, we also managed to create a control mechanism, which guarantees that the money is spent based on the agreement, and the European Commission reports on this to the Council on a yearly basis," -he said.

"So, a great Hungarian success was achieved, we were able to achieve both of our objectives, both Hungarian aspects had to be taken into consideration by the European Council during such an important decision," he stated.

He emphasized that the voted funds will not be used for weapon deliveries, but for the functioning of the Ukrainian state, for the people. "Hungary maintains its pro-peace stance, continues not to deliver weapons, and does not participate in any arms delivery operations," he informed.
As for the increase of funds of the European Peace Facility for covering weapon deliveries, Péter Szijjártó underlined that Hungary still does not support this and will not be a part of such a decision, and at the same time, it does not want to block others from defining it differently.

„We will remain uninvolved in such joint decisions, and we are not willing and will not take any kind of political and financial burdens of these”.- he warned.

The minister also mentioned the issue of 500 million euros withheld from the European Peace Facility due to Hungarian reservations.

“ As we know on this topic they have always referred to the fact that this is very important for the Ukrainians. I was there for more than half a day in Uzhhorod, and not a single word was heard from the Ukrainians in this regard," he said.

“So it is clear to whom this is important, to those European Union countries who decided to bring weapons to Ukraine, and now they want to make European citizens pay for the price of shipments, "he added.

He pointed out that the Hungarian government did not give its consent to the transfer because OTP received unfair treatment in Ukraine.

This is what I asked from my colleagues in Ukraine, to ensure fair and decent conditions for companies that are important for the Hungarian economy and are also active in Ukraine," he reminded.

He also addressed the issue of the ratification of Sweden's NATO accession, and believed that the head of government of the Northern European country would act in a "fair and correct manner" if he visited Hungary before the parliamentary vote.

"For several reasons, I think that this would be correct. And one of the several reasons, for example, is that he also went to Turkey," he declared.

Source: MTI-Hungarian News Agency

The European Union is in great need of Eastern investments and trade in the Eastern direction. If the EU puts obstacles in their way, it will further lose its global economic weight - highlighted Péter Szijjártó Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Friday in Brussels.

According to the ministry's announcement, at the press conference following the EU-India-Pacific ministerial meeting, the head of the ministry emphasized that in recent years a completely new reality has emerged in the world order, a new era has begun following the crises, in which the centre of gravity of the world economy has shifted from west to the east.

He underlined, that this is also shown by the fact that, while previously 70-80 percent of global investments were financed by Western capital, and the remaining 20-30 percent by Eastern capital, this ratio has now reversed.

He also touched upon the fact that Eastern and Western companies are now more dependent on each other than ever before.

"Of course, some describe this as a negative phenomenon. I think it's a good, it's a positive phenomenon," he said.

"It is very important that in this new period, in this new era, Europe finds the right answer, because if it gives the wrong answer to this new reality, it can cause itself much more serious economic problems than the current one," he added.

He emphasized that currently the realist and ideological approaches are fighting each other, and the supporters of the latter are working on the separation of Eastern and Western economies, which, however, according to him, would be completely against European interests.

“This approach struggles with reality, it wants to confront reality. But there is also a realistic approach that stands with two feet on the ground, takes reality as a basis and says that there is a need for closer East-West economic cooperation than ever before" - he stressed.

According to Péter Szijjártó, Europe is in a great need of Eastern investments today, as well as trade to the East, especially that without Asian suppliers, the electric transition in the automotive industry, which is a key sector, would not be possible.

"If Europe barricades itself from Eastern investments and puts obstacles in the way of Eastern trade, then the European Union will lose even more of its economic weight," he warned, recalling that China has now overtaken the continent in the ranking of gross domestic product (GDP).

He confirmed that his government wants to take steps in the direction of connectivity during the Hungarian EU Presidency later this year, therefore they want to speed up the free trade negotiations with the Southeast Asian states, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

"While we, here in Europe, were busy with our own nuisances and our own outdated, ideological debates, the world’s largest free trade area was created in the Southeast Asian region," he declared.

He recalled that the countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) account for about 29 percent of the global GDP. "Therefore, it would be in the EU’s interest to develop the closest possible cooperation with this free trade zone," he said.

The minister believes that inappropriate matters should not be mixed with economic cooperation, i.e. if the EU wants to conclude these free trade agreements "with the intention of political and ideological education", then the partners will obviously not agree to them.

The minister praised the success of the Eastern Opening policy, pointing out that if the government had yielded to the "exercise of pressure and attempts at dissuasion", then his country would have missed out on a huge opportunity for growth, as in recent years most investments in Hungary have come from China and South Korea respectively. .

He stressed that in the past ten years, the trade turnover between Hungary and the Southeast Asian countries has increased by about 75 percent, and the investments coming from the region help the domestic economy change its dimensions and guarantee the maintenance of the growth path.

“Hungary is proof that very serious benefits can indeed be gained from East-West cooperation," he concluded.

Source:MTI-Hungarian News Agency

Ministers discussed the need for rapid and structural responses to the current crisis situation in the agricultural sector during their meeting in Brussels on 26th February.

Following the farmers' protests across the EU, the European Commission and the Council are working together to find solutions to farmers' concerns. Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski considered the problems complex, which vary from one Member State to another. As common concerns the Commissioner named the EU trade and climate policies, thus an unequal level of playing field with third countries, administrative burdens created by EU and national legislations and increasing green requirement. Ministers unanimously agreed on the need for a rapid and effective response to farmers' concerns. State Secretary Zsolt Feldman presented a number of concrete proposals to reduce administrative burdens, strict rules and controls. Zsolt Feldman stressed the importance to develop medium- and long-term solutions besides the immediate adoption of short-term measures.

Ministers, furthermore, had an exchange of views on tools combatting transboundary animal diseases, including vaccinations, and fishery issues

The Council adopted simplification measures for the Common Agricultural Policy and agricultural ministers discussed the agri-market situation during their meeting in Brussels on 26th March.

Following the farmers' protests across the EU, Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski recalled that on 15 March the Commission published its simplification package proposal in response to farmers' concerns. Ministers confirmed the need for a rapid and effective response. Minister István Nagy stressed the importance to develop medium- and long-term solutions besides the adopted of short-term measures.

As regards the agricultural market situation, EU agriculture ministers mentioned in particular the EU-Ukraine trade relation. The European Commission stressed the prolongation of Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM regulation) with Ukraine, in order to support their economy. However, Member States much further from the Ukrainian border, reported negative effects due to the flow of Ukrainian agricultural goods. Minister István Nagy highlighted that those products should return to their traditional export markets and reach the third countries in need. The Minister stressed such a solution, which takes into consideration the interest of farmers both in the EU Member States and in Ukraine.

Ministers, furthermore, had an exchange of views on the upcoming election of the Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health, on the Call to Care for Animal Welfare ministerial cconference held in January as well as on the Commission’s animal welfare packageand fishery issues.

Hungary was one of the worst performing countries in the EU in terms of employment of people with reduced working capacity in 2010, but the 18 percent employment rate has now risen to almost 50 percent, the State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior responsible for care policy told MTI in Brussels on Monday.

The Hungarian State Secretary stressed that the Hungarian state is committed to supporting people with disabilities by providing accessibility and extending employment as widely as possible.

He stressed that the employment of people with disabilities and long-term illnesses is a social, solidarity and economic issue as well. In Hungary today, 150,000 people with a reduced work capacity have a job and support themselves and their families not from benefits but from earnings, he added. He also said it was positive that around three quarters of the people in employment were working in the open labour market.

Today, 4.7 million people are working in Hungary, an increase of 30 percent since 2010, or about one million, but the increase in the number of people with a reduced work capacity was 150 percent, so the most disadvantaged people were the ones who were able to participate in employment, he said.

In a press release sent to MTI, Fidesz MEP Ádám Kósa, who hosted the conference, stressed that "the future lies in personalised solutions and assistive technologies that can help overcome the disabilities that arise from ageing."

László Lovászy, UN human rights expert, Senior Research Fellow at the National University of Public Service and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Social Affairs, pointed out that "the incredible development of biotechnology and the rapid spread of artificial intelligence may bring opportunities, challenges and risks for people with disabilities in the world of work that we could not have imagined before, and may require a complete review of the European position in the future."

Representatives of the European Commission, the European Disability Forum (EDF), the European Independent Living Association (ENIL), and the European Association of Disability Service Providers (EASPD) agreed that the working conditions of people with disabilities in the EU are changing only slowly. They pointed out that reasonable accommodation involves not only material but also organisational measures, such as changing the speed or rhythm of work.

Source: MTI-Hungarian News Agency

Ministers discussed the rapid and structural responses to the current crisis situation in the agricultural sector and agri-trade related issues during their meeting in Luxembourg on 29th April.

Agriculture Commissioner, Janusz Wojciechowski said that the European Parliament has voted in favour on CAP simplification package, therefore it could enter into force in May. The Commissioner recalled the 18 April European Council Conclusions, which stated that farmers need a stable and predictable framework and called the Commission for further simplification proposals. Minister István Nagy stressed the importance to develop medium- and long-term solutions besides the adopted short-term simplification measures.

As regards the agricultural market situation, ministers generally agreed that FTAs are an important tool for economic growth, but sensitive sectors must always be taken into account. On the EU-Ukraine trade relation, István Nagy called for a more balanced approach, which takes into consideration the interest of farmers both in the EU Member States and in Ukraine.

Ministers, furthermore, had an exchange of views on the bioeconomy, which  must stand out at the core of the next European Commission’s work programme.

Ministers discussed among the need for rapid and structural responses to the current crisis situation in the agricultural sector, the current situation of agri-markets and animal welfare related issues during their meeting in Brussels on 27th May.

Misters stressed the importance of effective crisis management and adequate financial support, in particular strengthening of the CAP budget. Minister István Nagy also told that a comprehensive and complex examination of the risk management tools and crisis measures was necessary. He added, that Member States should have more flexibility in implementing risk management and crisis measures.

As regards the agricultural market situation, EU agriculture ministers highlighted in particular the problems caused by extreme weather events. Regarding the EU-Ukraine trade relation, the Commission told that Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM regulation) with Ukraine was prolonged, in order to support their economy. Minister István Nagy highlighted that those products should return to their traditional export markets and reach the third countries in need. The Minister stressed such a long term solution, which takes into consideration the interest of farmers both in the EU Member States and in Ukraine.

Ministers, furthermore, had an exchange of views on animal welfare.

Ministers adopted presidency conclusions on the future of EU agriculture during their meeting in Luxembourg on 24th June. At the end of the meeting Belgian Agriculture Minister David Clarinval handed over the Presidency to Agriculture Minister István Nagy.

Ministers adopted presidency conclusions  -with the support of 26 Member States, including Hungary - on the future of EU agriculture. István Nagy stressed that the adoption of the conclusions will help to ensure the importance of  agriculture in the EU's strategic agenda and will also provide guidance to the new Commission, how agriculture should relate to other sectors in the coming period.

At the end of the Council, the Belgian Minister for Agriculture, David Clarinval, handed over the Presidency to the Hungarian Minister for Agriculture. István Nagy thanked and acknowledged the efforts of the Spanish and Belgian presidencies and assured that Hungary will do its utmost to ensure successful continuation of the trio presidency working programme.

On 20 February, Kata Tüttő was elected President of the European Committee of the Regions.

Following the vote, Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development, said: With the election of Kata Tüttő as the head of the European Committee of the Regions for the next five-year period, Hungary is represented at the head of an important EU institution, which is a very important opportunity for national interest representation, consensus building and influencing European domestic policy.