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Together with Slovakia, Hungary has legally challenged the EU’s mandatory migrant quota plans at the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, he said. Minister Trócsányi said he had sought the opinions of his counterparts in EU Member States and it seemed that some countries were firmly opposed to the Hungarian position, to the extent that “they wouldn’t even listen to our legal arguments”. Others were informally supportive, but wished to stay neutral, while still others went further to say that the mandatory quota system had already failed, Minister Trócsányi said.

   

Looking at the issue from Central Europe, the immigration policies of the West are “far from being a success story” and integration efforts resulted in problems over the past decades, especially where there were religious obstacles, Minister Trócsányi explained, adding that he himself had experienced this while being ambassador in Paris and Brussels.

Europe is undecided, and a sign of this is its many contradicting responses on the issue, he said. Some European leaders want to look firm and resort to blackmail or threats, but this is not likely to succeed. Hungary has formulated firm positions based on its national traditions, “constitutional identity” and value choices, which are backed by legal arguments.

   

Hungary is not alone: it is backed by the Visegrád countries (Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia). This alliance should be expanded, especially regionally, Minister Trócsányi stressed. The many different interests and voices within the European Union offer numerous connecting points and alliance opportunities. Legal reasoning is important in order to represent Hungary’s stance on various matters, he added. When there is no room for a compromise, the right to veto must be exercised.

“Constitutional historical traditions, Europe’s Christian roots, family and marriage bear different meanings in our region and in Western Europe,” the Minister said. Hungary’s policy for Hungarian communities abroad is also on this list, he added. The right to use one’s mother tongue should receive more attention and legal protection at European forums, he emphasised.

 

(Ministry of Justice, photo: Balázs, Mohai)

According to the current plans, Mr. Orbán will receive Mr. Cameron in Parliament. Following their discussion, a joint press conference will be held in the Delegation Room of the Parliament. In closing, the British Prime Minister will be received by President János Áder in Sándor Palace.

The two prime ministers last held talks before the EU summit held in December, after which Mr. Orbán announced that the British Prime Minister would visit Budapest on 7 January.

(Prime Minister's Office)

"We both want a strong Europe […] and a strong Europe must be a competitive Europe”, Mr. Orbán pointed out when speaking about Mr. Cameron’s four key demands on the European Union; of these four he said that “we fully support three as they stand”. He said that “There is spiritual and strategic accord between us”.

The Hungarian prime minister stated that London and Budapest agree that the the role of national parliaments within the EU must be reconsidered, and that countries which do not form part of the eurozone must be treated equally within the EU’s institutional system.

They also agreed, he continued, that abuses related to in-work benefits must be eliminated in every EU Member State.

   

Hungarians working in Britain should not be subject to discrimination

In this regard, Mr. Orbán stressed that the Hungarian government stands up for hard-working Hungarians making an honest contribution wherever they are. He therefore asked his British counterpart to ensure that, when formulating proposals, it is recognised that the vast majority of Hungarians living in Britain are hard-working people who contribute to Britain’s economy through their work and financial contributions.

He added that if there is to be any change in this area, the Visegrád Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) would seek to discuss such a proposal and to come to a joint agreement; he said that he believes there is a good chance that they would be able to do so.

Mr. Orbán specifically dealt with this issue in answer to a question, pointing out that it is important that Hungarians working in Britain should not be subject to any discrimination.

At the same time, he said, Hungary is open to all reasonable proposals designed to put an end to abuses in the field of in-work benefits as “we in Hungary do not tolerate them”.

   

“We are not migrants in the United Kingdom”

Mr. Orbán pointed out that “We are not migrants in the United Kingdom”, but EU nationals who are free to engage in employment anywhere in the European Union. Hungarians do not go to Britain to live off the British, he said: they do not want to take anything away from local people, but simply wish to work – and they work hard. He added that, according to data from the UK’s office for statistics, some 55,000 people born in Hungary are in employment in Britain today.

According to Hungary’s estimates, he added, when seen as a whole Hungarians working in Britain pay more taxes and contributions than they claim in benefits.

Mr. Orbán said he is hopeful that, together with Mr. Cameron, it will be possible to find a solution which is both satisfactory for Hungarian workers and in line with the goals of the British government.

   

Hungary to continue to take part in missions in Syria and Iraq in the future

The Prime Minister further reassured his British counterpart that, as a NATO partner, Hungary will continue to take part in international missions in Syria and Iraq in the future, with its contribution proportionate to the country’s size.

Mr. Orbán described Hungarian-British bilateral relations as good, reiterating that Britain is the fifth largest investor in Hungary, where around 700 British businesses have operations, employing a total of more than 50,000 people.

Regarding migration, the Hungarian prime minister said that common sense dictates that every responsible government should protect its own citizens. Hungary wants to preserve the Schengen Agreement, and to this end, it is necessary to protect the Schengen Area’s external borders, he said.

   

At the press conference Mr. Orbán was also asked about his private visit to Poland on Wednesday, as part of which he met Jarosław Kaczyński, Chairman of Poland’s governing party Law and Justice (PiS). In this regard, he indicated that he had anticipated the “speculation” that the “old boys’ meeting in Poland” would have something to do with the Hungarian-British talks held in Budapest on Thursday. “That was not entirely the case”, he said.

The Hungarian prime minister said that in “the current European – and in particular, the Central European – political spectrum, the chairman of Poland’s ruling party and I are among the few politicians surviving from the period when communism fell. This is effectively the freedom fighters’ veterans’ club. I was pleased to visit our Polish friends, and we strengthened Polish-Hungarian strategic cooperation there”.

   

Both Britain and Hungary want a Europe that works

Britain and Hungary have similar ideas about the EU and both want a Europe that works, British prime minister David Cameron said.

The British prime minister highlighted the importance of subsidiarity and fair rules, so that Member States within the eurozone and outside it should be treated equally and that nation states should be respected.

Mr. Cameron pointed out that it is important for Britain to remain within a reformed European Union; he said that the United Kingdom is equally important for Europe, as it has a strong economy. He said that a solution may be found by the time of the European Council’s meeting in February.

   

He said that there may be countries which wish for greater integration, but his country does not want a European Union which takes certain things away from it. At the same time, the British prime minister also stressed the importance of the common market.

He also told the press that the UK’s welfare system was also on the agenda. While he supports the free movement of people – as it is good, for instance, that Britons, may also work in other European countries – one should remember that this free movement puts pressure on the welfare system, and therefore this issue must be addressed. While there is not much time until the EU summit in February, if they work hard they may reach an agreement, he explained. He reiterated that a referendum will be held in Britain regarding the country’s EU membership by the end of 2017.

With regard to the reform of in-work benefits, Mr. Cameron spoke about the option of non-UK nationals not being eligible for welfare benefits during their first four years in the country, but he pointed out that he is also open to other solutions.

The British prime minister added that an agreement must be reached on Syria, and Europe needs tight and strong external border protection. He also highlighted the importance of observing the Minsk Agreements.

  Mr. Cameron welcomed appreciation of British investors in Hungary

Mr. Cameron said that the Hungarian economy has recently been enjoying a period of growth and low unemployment, and he further welcomed the fact that British investors are appreciated in Hungary. Both countries are fully supportive members of NATO and the EU, he said. The British prime minister pointed out that in recent years the experience of cooperating with the Hungarian prime minister has been positive, and this brings with it the hope of a successful future and cooperation on other issues as well. Referring to the fact that the last British premier to visit Hungary was Tony Blair in 2005, he added that people will not have to wait another ten years before a British prime minister comes to Budapest.

After his talks with Mr. Orbán, the British prime minister was received by President János Áder in the Presidential Palace.

(MTI, photo: Zsolt Burger, Károly Árvai)

Thus, the expert-level negotiations are launched in respect of the Commission’s new proposal issued on 2 December 2015.

The text of the proposal can be found here.

The Presidency does not expect prolonged discussions. With regard to its particular importance the proposal is the priority of the Netherlands, therefore they endeavour to reach, without delay, an agreement on it no later than during the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in March. The Presidency’s ultimate objective is to conclude the negotiations with the European Parliament by the summer of 2016 and to adopt the new Directive. The feasibility of this plan seems to be confirmed by the fact that over one and a half working days the experts managed to go through the draft article-by-article.

The draft directive as adjusted in accordance with the delegations’ comments is again on the agenda of DROIPEN on 19 January for further discussions.

Last autumn the Commission has announced its intention to establish a high level expert group to tackle greater market instability and increased price volatility, of which the European agri-food sector is suffering from. The main aim of the Task Force is to search and develop solutions, which are capable of improving farmers position in the food chain and strengthening SME-s.

The members have been chosen via application procedure and the Central-Eastern-European region will be also represented by a Polish and a Slovak member.

The task force will hold several meetings in the coming months, in which stakeholders and representatives of the EP, the Commission and the Council will also participate. Among other issues market transparency and access for farmers to financial instruments will be on top of the agenda. The Task Force will present a final report with its findings in the autumn of 2016, which may include concrete recommendations for policy and legislative initiatives.

More information on the Agricultural Markets Task Force can be found here.

 

As part of the discussion, Ministers overviewed the state of play of the current legislative proposals in the area of financial services as well as of the implementation of the Banking Union. Special attention was paid to the proposal on the establishment of a European Deposit Insurance Scheme, where discussions are expected to start soon.

The Council adopted conclusions on the Annual Growth Survey (AGS) marking the start of the 2016 European Semester and the Alert Mechanism Report (AMR) which is the basis for the 2016 Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure (MIP). Ministers also approved Council Recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area.

Finance ministers had a discussion on the widening of the scope of the reverse charge mechanism (VAT) and on the introduction of a possible pilot project for domestic transactions, based on the proposals made by the Czech Republic. Hungary’s position is that combatting VAT fraud needs urgent steps therefore Hungary supports the proposals of the Czech Republic and the overall deliberation on these issues should be carried out in the context of the Commission Action Plan in March.

At a press conference, Mr. Takács said that, at the General Affairs Council, ministers had reviewed the priorities set by the Dutch presidency. One of the most important objectives is to significantly reduce the number of migrants arriving in Europe. In this respect, Mr. Takács emphasised that the Government of Hungary regards keeping the Schengen Area alive to be a top priority, because “it is one of the most important and most tangible achievements” of European integration. He said that one element of the system – free movement within the zone – has worked well for a long time, but the other element is also vitally important; this, however, will require more effective protection of the EU’s external borders.

Mr. Takács emphasised the importance of letting migrants enter the EU only in a controlled manner, because now we have no information on where they are coming from, what their backgrounds are and why they are coming. He stressed that potential new European measures aimed at the protection of external borders can only be accepted if they do not interfere with national competencies.

Mr. Takács also spoke about another priority of the Dutch presidency: increasing the EU’s competitiveness. He said that, in order to establish a well-functioning digital internal market, the viewpoints of non-eurozone must also be considered, in addition to those of the eurozone Member States.

Before the General Affairs Council meeting representatives of the Visegrád countries held a separate meeting, at which they all agreed on the same position on the most important issues, Mr. Takács said.

(Prime Minister's Office)

The European Commission was represented by Johannes Hahn Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, and the European External Action Service by Deputy Secretary General, Helga Schmid. The meeting in Brussels focused on promoting the EU-integration process of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and also on having a more thorough understanding on current Macedonian politics. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó underlined the country’s preparedness to start EU-accession talks as well as the positive role it played in facing the migration flow towards Europe. Participants praised the timeliness and useful nature of the meeting.

Ministers had an exchange of views on Syria, Iraq and Ukraine. Concerning Syria, ministers agreed on stepping up efforts to support the UN-led political process and to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground. On Iraq, there had been a broad agreement on the need for further support to the reform and reconciliation processes, provide humanitarian assistance and continue the fight against ISIL/Da’esh. Ministers also had a discussion on the reform process in Ukraine and the EU-assistance. Furthermore, ministers had a working lunch with Jordanian Foreign Minister, Nasser Judah, where among other the EU’s support to Jordan with regards the migration crisis was discussed.

The Council also adopted conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process and Libya.

In total, 15 projects were selected following a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), an EU funding programme for infrastructure. The selected projects will increase energy security and help end the isolation of Member States from EU-wide energy networks. Of the 15 proposals selected for funding 9 are in the gas sector (financial aid worth €207 million) and six in electricity sector (€10 million).

The European Criminal Record Information system "ECRIS" was established in 2012 on the basis of Council Framework Decision 2009/315/JHAand Council Decision 2009/316/JHA. It aims at allowing an efficient information exchange between Member States regarding criminal convictions in the EU. ECRIS forms a key part of the Commission's priority of a common area of justice and fundamental rights, as well as the European Agenda on Security(IP/15/4869), which calls explicitly for the inclusion of non-EU nationals within ECRIS to improve the fight against cross-border crime and terrorism.

This is a key action of the European Agenda on Security, which aims to improve cooperation between national authorities in the fight against terrorism and other forms of serious cross-border crime. This initiative will ensure that ECRIS, which is already widely used for exchange of criminal records of EU citizens, will be used to its full potential. The legislative process in the Council started on 1st February on expert level and presumably will end by the end of this year.

Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality said: "The Paris attacks in November confirmed the urgent need for more robust and seamless judicial cooperation throughout the EU. ECRIS is an important tool against cross-border crime, as it enables Member States to exchange information on previous convictions anywhere in the EU. (…) we propose to upgrade this tool to ensure easier access to the convictions of non-EU citizens. Judges, prosecutors or the police will be better equipped for EU-wide cooperation that will guarantee the security of all citizens throughout the EU. By including fingerprints of non-EU citizens we will have a strong tool to tackle the use of false identities." 

ECRIS, established in 2012, enables national judicial authorities to receive information on previous criminal convictions in other Member States either for court proceedings or other purposes like criminal investigations. This allows for a rapid and efficient exchange of information between national authorities, contributing to improving the prevention and fight against cross-border crime and terrorism. Member States currently send through ECRIS around 288,000 requests per year on previous criminal convictions across the EU. 

As part of the European Agenda on Security, the Commission is taking steps to adapt to new and evolving threats by ensuring that the criminal convictions of third country nationals convicted in the EU can be easily accessed in ECRIS. This would ensure effective exchange of criminal record data for both EU and non-EU citizens alike, bringing the following benefits:

• Ensuring better security for all citizens throughout the EU: Improved information sharing between national authorities will contribute towards the better and faster combatting of criminal and terrorist activity, so that citizens' safety is more secure throughout the EU. 

• Boosting and improving judicial cooperation: Simplifying searches for non-EU nationals' criminal records will encourage national authorities to make more use of ECRIS.

• Cutting costs and improving efficiency: By including an index of criminal records of non-EU citizens in the ECRIS system, Member States searching for previous criminal records of non-EU nationals will no longer need to send requests to all Member States. This reduces costs and administrative burden for national authorities. It will also be easier for non-EU nationals to show they have a clean criminal record (e.g. for employment purposes). 

• Better identification with exchange of fingerprints: to tackle the difficulty that can arise in correctly identifying third country nationals, and to tackle the use of false identities, fingerprint data will be part of the criminal record information exchanged.

Further steps

Commissioner Jourová presented the proposal to the Informal Justice and Home Affairs Council on 26 January 2016. The proposal will then be further discussed by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. The legislative process in the Council started on 1st February on expert level. Once the process is completed, the Directive would enter into force one year after publication in the Official Journal.

 

(Source: European Commission - http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-87_en.htm)

The Facility will allow the EU to provide additional 3 billion euro to refugees in Turkey and their host communities in exchange for its cooperation in stemming the flow of migrants. According to the agreement €1 billion of this will be financed from the EU budget and the remaining €2 billion by contributions from the member states according to their share in EU GNI. Hungary will contribute with an amount of € 14,7 million.

The full press release is available here.

The prognosis with regard to the GDP growth for 2015-2016 is slightly lower than in autumn: the forecast shows unchanged 2,5% growth for the year 2017. The rate of inflation has been modified downwards for 2016, so the Commission’s forecast is in conformity with the governmental macro-path.

The growth of the Hungarian economy exceeds the EU’s average throughout the forecast horizon. Adjusted to the cyclicality of the use of EU funds and compared to the outstanding result (3,7%) in 2014, the real GDP expanded moderately in 2015 (2,7%) and it is expected to increase this year by 2,1%, while more intensively in 2017 (2,5%). The Commission’s prognosis remains 0,4% in 2016 and 0,6% in 2017 below the growth path expected by the government.

Positive processes will continue in the labour market, according the Commission. All-time low unemployment will decrease to 5,2% in 2017 (that is the third lowest rate among the 28 member states), meanwhile the employment rate and the activity continues will expand. The Commission does not attribute primary role to public work scheme in these processes.

The progress of the budget keeps continuing: the Commission is expecting 2,1% deficit that is 0,3% lower than it was planned in the Budget Act and this could decrease slightly to 1,9% in 2017. The decrease of the debt-to-GDP ratio is steady and its rate is getting faster: the ratio is expected to have sunk from 76,2% in the end of 2014 to 75,8 last year, and to keep decreasing to 74,3% this year and to 72,4% in 2017.

The Expert Team was established for an 18-month period with budget of 850.000 EUR with the aim to strengthen customs relations and enhance operational cooperation among the Members of the Team in order that the customs controls performed at the EU Eastern and South-Eastern land border were more efficient and uniform. The Members of the Team exchange their knowledge, experience and best practices; examine the possibilities for pooling of resources and make proposals. The expenses incurred in the frames of the project are covered by the Customs 2020 Programme of the EU.

The chief coordinator of the Expert Team is the Estonian Tax- and Customs Administration, the Head of the Team is the Estonian Mr. Egon Veermae. CELBET covers six activity blocks (Risk Management, Operational Control, Equipment and Procurement, Training, Evaluation/Performance Measurement and Cooperation), from which the Equipment and Procurement Team will be led by a Hungarian customs official, lieutenant colonel Mr. András Bartha.

Within the Equipment and Procurement Team our objective is to expand the equipment acquisitions of the Hungarian National Tax- and Customs Administration and with the involvement of further EU resources to reduce the burdens born by the Hungarian budget. With the help of the project the protection of the Eastern and South-Eastern borders can be more effective.

His Excellency Tibor Stelbaczky, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative has personally carried out extensive lobbying in order that the Hungarian expert was selected as a Team Leader.

The Ministers continued first round discussion on the directives that address practises against tax avoidance and a new form of mandatory automatic change of information. The point of the Hungarian government is that the maintenance of a healthy European tax-competition is important, furthermore the practises of member states’ bilateral tax-agreements and their existing obligations must be considered. All these points taken into account Hungary calls for further impact assessments.

The Ministers also discussed the oral report of the working group which examines the possibilities of transformation of the EU‘s own resources system from 2021. The working group leader, ex- Italian Prime Minister and Commissioner Mario Monti emphasized that not only the elaboration of reform plans on the revenue side but the challenges regarding to the expenditures must be also considered. Monti will present his report by the end of 2016.

The Ecofin discussed the Commission’s Action Plan to strengthen the fight against financing terrorism as well. The accepted Council conclusions laid out more path of action like the quick implementation of the directive against money laundering and financing terrorism, improvement of the cooperation among the financial information units of the member states, the more effective execution of UN resolutions in the EU regarding to the freezing of assets, the preparation of national risk assessments, examination of possibilities to restrict cash payments and strengthening the possible actions against illegal trade of cultural goods.

During the breakfast before the session the ministers have been informed about the winter forecast of the Commission which confirms that the growth of Hungary exceeds the EU’s average.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council discussed the long-term strategy for agricultural research and innovation on 15th February, 2016.

According to Commissioner Phil Hogan, the Strategy will be finalized by April. The objective is to create an agricultural strategy that leads to a more innovative production, entails less emissions and deals equally with sustainable agriculture and fishery.

Deputy State Secretary, Zsolt Feldman stated that the Hungarian Government pays special attention to the agricultural research and innovation policy. He also emphasised that CEE countries, including Hungary, has special agricultural research and development needs that had not been taken into consideration during the allocation of financial resources from the European Research and Technological Development Programme. He pointed out that CEE countries have to determine jointly those particular goals, which they consider necessary to reflect in the Work Programme 2018-2020 of the Horizon 2020 Strategy. For achieving this objective Hungary requests the Commission to support the cooperation among CEE countries both at political and technical level.

“Our position remains that the wave of migration must be controlled, and it must be halted”, the Prime Minister explained. However, the line of defence between Turkey and Europe is not working, he said, and it has so far failed to halt the influx of migrants. “The past months have shown that the EU has not succeeded. Therefore – logically, and in line with our political responsibility – we must discuss the possibility of a second line of defence”, he stated.

Mr. Orbán added that “what Hungary can do is provide help to all those who are willing to ensure the establishment of a second line of defence to the south of Hungary’s borders”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was of the opinion that “the most important questions in 2016 will be the issues of security and migration, and therefore these were the most important topics at the V4 summit in Prague”.

He also noted that there are approximately 38.5 million people living as internally displaced persons in countries outside Europe, and “this is the mass of people which could set off for Europe at any time”.

Mr. Orbán pointed out that another large wave of migration is threatening Europe from Ukraine, but the V4 have been successful in preventing this. “We do not receive any support to do this, but we are protecting Europe from the burden of this mass movement”, he explained.

The summit was also attended by the prime ministers of Bulgaria and Macedonia. Mr. Orbán said that both countries have handled the migration crisis successfully, and therefore Hungary supports Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen Area, and Macedonia should also be offered EU membership.

Click here for the Joint Statement of the Prime Ministers of the Visegrad Group Countries on the 25th V4 Anniversary.

EU Member States highlighted that the pig farming and dairy sectors have faced critical situation during last months. In the majority of the Member States the law prices are not covering production costs, therefore many producers are threatened by insolvency. Ministers agreed that existing crisis management instruments are ineffective. Member States would like to see greater efforts by the Commission to find other export opportunities, re-open Russian market and use existing crisis management tools in a more effective way.

Zsolt Feldman, Deputy State Secretary for Agricultural Economy emphasized the difficult situation of pig farming and dairy sectors. Among the EU-28 raw milk prices show the major decrease (20 per cent) in Hungary during the last 12 months. Hungary agreed with other Member States that it is necessary to reintroduce private storage aid for pigmeat and increase intervention prices of the dairy sector. Improving the efficiency of the EU safety net is also important, because existing crisis management measures seems to be ineffective.

Commissioner Phil Hogan said that any possible solution must be consistence with the Common Agricultural Policy and the Multiannual Financial Framework.

The Dutch Presidency will put this point on the agenda of the next AGRIFISH Council, on 14th March, 2016.

In the introductory speech to the Council meeting, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini touched on the topic of Bosnia and Hercegovina and Libya. The presiding President of Bosnia and Herzegovina officially submitted his country’s application to join the European Union on the side-lines of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on 15 February. As a committed supporter of the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Baltic States, Hungary welcomes the submission of Bosnia-Hercegovina’s application to join the European Union.

Hungary recognises the progress made in the integration process and with regard to economic and social reform since the latest move to forge closer links with the European Union and is willing to provide further assistance towards the country’s accession process. With relation to Libya, and especially in view of the increased threat posed by the infiltration of ISIS forces in the country, the High Representative reported to EU Foreign Ministers on the composition of the National Unity Government and the status of its adoption.

One of the priority topics of the meeting was the future of EU-Belarus relations. The member states adopted Council conclusions on the issue. The decision was made to suspend restrictive measures currently in place against 170 people (including President Lukashenko) and three entities, but the arms embargo and restrictive measures on three listed persons are to be extended. During the debate, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. László Szabó represented the Hungarian standpoint that the release of political prisoners last year, the positive role played by Minsk in regional processes and the policy of opening towards the EU have created the conditions to enable a positive review of the EU’s existing policies. Hungary views the latest step by Brussels as an important indication that could contribute to maintaining the dynamic development of EU-Belarus relations.

With relation to Moldova, the Ministers discussed the recent internal political tensions, economic forecasts and opportunities for continuing the reform process called for by the EU. The member states adopted Council conclusions on the issue.

A review of the political, security and humanitarian situation in Syria was placed on the agenda in view of developments on the battlefield and as a follow-up to the Syria Donors Conference held in London on 4 February and the meeting of the International Syria Support Group in Munich.

In the presence of EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Policy Miguel Arias Cañete, the Ministers debated the main directions for 2016 climate diplomacy action, the main goal of which is to facilitate the signing and realisation of the Paris Agreement (COP21) in partner countries. The member states adopted Council conclusions on the issue. Mr. Szabó reported on preparations for the Budapest World Water Summit planned for November 2016, with which Hungary wishes to contribute to EU climate diplomacy efforts.

On the side-lines of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, EU Foreign Ministers held an informal working lunch with Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil, with whom they discussed the domestic situation in Lebanon, the effects of regional security developments, migration challenges and opportunities for cooperation on anti-terrorism with the European Union. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states assured their Lebanese partner of their continued solidarity and support.

Regarding the issue of migration, the Hungarian position has been clear throughout: controls, identification, interception and turning back – precisely as laid down in the Schengen Agreement. This is a difficult and costly task, Mr. Orbán said, but as far as the protection of Hungary is concerned it has been a successful policy.

    Mr. Orbán takes the view that “At this point in time Europe is where it should have been at least one year ago”. The countries on the Balkan route and Austria have set out on the path of common sense, because what these states are now doing is the Hungarian solution: they are building fences, stopping migrants and sending them back, he said. He remarked that in his view the southern borders of Europe can only be protected in this manner, in accordance with the concepts and decisions jointly prepared and represented by the Visegrád Four.

In the West the situation is deteriorating: several countries are continuing to represent the position that migrants should be allowed into the territory of the EU and should be distributed among the Member States on a mandatory basis, using legislative measures, the Prime Minister said; he added that at the summit the voices of those arguing for this position were extremely loud. Mr. Orbán said that preventing this and taking action against this will be the task for the next few weeks, and this will also be the focus of the next EU summit, which has been brought forward to March.

We have achieved the goals we set

Mr. Orbán said that we have protected the most important European principle: that not a single EU citizen may be discriminated against. The Visegrád countries jointly prepared for, jointly represented and jointly achieved the results attained in connection with Britain’s demands.

    In the context of the negotiations on the UK government’s reform demands, Mr. Orbán said that the British had requested no less than that the EU should change its current policy on a number of issues. “The British wanted us to strengthen the European Union”, the Prime Minister said. Strengthening means enhanced competitiveness. The British achievement has been to see that the EU takes a more proactive stance on the world economic scene –something which is important for the future of Europe, with or without the United Kingdom, he added.

In the debate on the issue of social regulations, the Prime Minister considered it a major success on the part of the 28 EU Member States that freedom of movement for workers continues to be upheld throughout Europe, including in Britain. It is a joint achievement that the freedom of movement for workers cannot be prevented on any grounds, Mr. Orbán stated.

The success of the negotiations is underlined by the fact that Hungarian workers will continue to have access to benefits, free from discrimination. Thanks to the results achieved at the negotiations, they will continue to be eligible for everything that they have paid for to date. The regulations on foreign workers have also remained unalterable, he stressed. For those who have taken up employment in Britain and who have families, the negotiating parties have succeeded in ensuring that if their children live in another EU Member State they should be eligible for social benefits adjusted to the standard of living of the country of origin.

Families whose children live in the United Kingdom will be eligible for all benefits that are available to children in British families. “We have done everything we could; the decision now lies with the British”, the Prime Minister said, referring to the referendum to be held on the United Kingdom’s membership of the EU.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s press statement following the summit of the European Council:

http://www.kormany.hu/en/the-prime-minister/the-prime-minister-s-speeches/prime-minister-viktor-orban-s-press-statement-following-the-summit-of-the-european-council

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister, photo: Balázs Szecsődi/Prime Minister’s Press Office)