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The 2 days Festival of Freedom was organised jointly by the Embassy of Hungary, the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU and the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the NATO. After the opening ceremony by the three ambassadors, the special event started with concerts and many other performances.  

Ambassador Zoltán NAGY (Embassy of Hungary), Ambassador Péter SZTÁRAY (Permanent Representative of Hungary to the NATO), Ambassador Olivér VÁRHELYI, (Permanent Representative of Hungary to the EU) at the official opening ceremony

The Headquarters (animation tent) offered many colourful activities for the audience on both days of the festival with a variety of programmes organised through the cooperation of different Hungarian cultural associations and entrepreneurs. Some of the activities: workshops, musical instrument display, games from the ‘50s, dance courses in the spirit of freedom, revolutionary adventure game with different locations, and roundtable discussion with Hungarians who immigrated to Belgium in 1956.

At the Hungarian market visitors could taste Hungarian artisanal cheese, charcuterie, honey and chocolate, while design products were also offered. Hungarian gastronomy was represented by the traditional kitchen of Katlan Toni and visitors could also taste the Hungarian “langos” and chimney cake.

Stand of Katlan Toni

One of the biggest attraction was an IS-3 battle tank which The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History of Belgium has offered for both days. This IS-3 type battle tank played a major role during the revolution of Hungary in 1956. During the Festival of Freedom Hungary has also expressed gratitude to Belgium and to the Belgian people for having helped in 1956.

The program was sponsored by the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight 60th Anniversary Memorial Board.

Ministers discussed the Commission’s proposal on the Modernization of Trade Defence Instruments. In line with the Hungarian position progress has been made towards adopting a common position within the Council this year in order to enable the start of trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament. Hungary stressed that the outcome of the Modernization of Trade Defence Instruments must strengthen the system and the protection of EU industry against unfair import trade practices. Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström introduced the recent proposal on a new antidumping calculation methodology.

On the basis of Commissioner Malmström’s update report ministers took stock of the state of play in the negotiations with the US on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). According to EU expectations the setting up of the new US administration will result in a natural pause in the negotiations at the beginning of 2017. The Commissioner did not want to enter into speculation regarding the position of president-elect Donald Trump on the continuation of the negotiations at a later point in time.

The Council discussed the state of play of the negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the EU’s negotiating position. Hungary supported that the talks should focus in particular on the creation and updating of multilateral trade rules.

The Council was debriefed about the state of play in the negotiations on the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) and the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA). Hungary considered the substance of these agreements to be more important than the speed of their negotiation. The outcome should be balanced for the EU and its Member States and properly reflect Hungarian sensitivities.

The Council overviewed the state of play in the free trade negotiations with Japan. The negotiations entered into their final phase and there is a good chance for their early finalization.

Ministers were also debriefed on the state of play of the free trade negotiations with Mercosur. The recently restarted negotiations are still at an early phase.

In the margins of the Council meeting the parties signed the accession protocol of Ecuador to the Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Peru and Columbia. The ratification process of the agreement will start after the signature.

The Permanent Representation of Hungary to the European Union hosted a high-level round-table discussion in partnership with AECA (The American European Community Association) on the 10th of November 2016. The topic of discussion was “Promoting Culture and investing in Education as catalysts for Innovation, Economic Growth and New Jobs”.

The guest speaker of the event was Mr. Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. Participants included high-level representatives of a wide range of stakeholders, including private companies and EU institutions.

AECA is an independent, non-partisan association that aims to provide for a neutral platform for senior international business leaders and policy-makers to share experience and vision on transatlantic and global relations. More information is available on the following website: http://www.aeca.org/

The minister - in agreement with the majority of EU ministers of agriculture – stood up for a CAP budget which has to be kept at least on the current level. Inclusion of any new objectives in the CAP is only possible with the appropriate assignment of additional resources – highlighted the minister of agriculture, who explained that a clear, European-level indication shall be provided to farmers on the maintenance of the EU aid scheme.

Agricultural producers have to be assured that their work, their performance, their contribution to the common good and the high quality of food which they produce are still needed. It is of paramount importance that farmers continue to be the beneficiaries of CAP budget – said Sándor Fazekas.

Simplification of agricultural support schemes in the near future is a primary objective. This issue is on the agenda for decades at EU level, but it has never been achieved. The minister of agriculture stressed his conviction that we need to maintain a strong, two-pillar Common Agricultural Policy supported by adequate community financial resources which is not affected by the management of financial requirements of the migration crisis.

The concrete legislative proposals concerning the CAP are expected to be discussed no sooner than 2018, while the official negotiations on the EU budget after 2020 will officially begin in 2017.

Distribution of funds among EU Member States to be spent on research and innovation is vastly disproportionate. “New Member States (EU-13) receive only 5% of the resources of the Horizon 2020 program. This will increase the innovation gap that hinders sustainable increase and inhibits the development within the whole EU” – commented Sándor Fazekas.

At the meeting of agriculture ministers of V4+3 (Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia) countries on the 26th of October in Warsaw, a joint statement was presented. This common position called for a joint action to equalize the innovation gap among Member States. The Hungarian Minister of Agriculture highlighted that during the Council meeting Commissioner Phil Hogan acknowledged that balanced allocation of resources is required because of regional imbalances.

Sándor Fazekas highlighted as an extraordinary result that the so called BIOEAST initiative (Central Eastern European Initiative for Knowledge-based Agriculture and Bioeconomy) launched by the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture received great support at EU level. This program aims to extend the region-specific research topics and research opportunities.

The Conference in Bratislava organized by the Slovakian Presidency on the 17th of October pointed out the importance of regional cooperation in the development of bioeconomy and the establishment of national macro-regional strategies. “It is my firm belief is that mutual enhancement and united action are needed for the success of the Central and Eastern European macro-regions” – highlighted Sándor Fazekas, adding that the amount of Community funds allocated for the Common Agricultural Policy until 2020 may not be reduced at the costs of Horizon 2020.

The two-week long UN climate talks, called also as Africa summit, had as its main task to elaborate the implementing rules. The COP22 climate meeting focused on the following topics among others: Paris Agenda, elaboration of the detailed rules of the Paris Agreement; monitoring and reporting rules for greenhouse gas emissions; preparation for the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue.

The international climate finance, provided by the developed countries (USD 100 billion yearly by 2020), was a main topic in the talks. At the same time, the availability of financial resources post 2020 has been also very important question for the developing countries. Several countries (including US, Canada, Mexico and Germany) announced long-term strategy reducing GHG emissions by 2050 during the conference. Some initiatives aiming to fight against climate change were launched (e.g. “2050 pathways platform”). The European Commission signed three declarations during the Marrakech UNFCCC meetings: (1) a joint EU-Africa declaration on the Renewable Energy Initiative; (2) a bilateral declaration on climate cooperation with Mozambique; (3) a joint statement on the Initiative on Climate Risk Insurance.

The Parties adopted a declaration (Marrakech Action Proclamation) to signal their commitments to shift towards a new era of implementation and action on climate and sustainable development. The proclamation can be read here.

The decisions adopted by COP22 and CMA1 are available here.

During the COP22 conference, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that it is very likely that 2016 will be the hottest year on record. Preliminary data shows that 2016’s global temperatures are approximately 1.2° Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

In the field of youth affairs, the Council adopted conclusions on promoting new approaches in youth work to uncover and develop the potential of young people. After that the ministers had a policy debate about what can be done to better connect young people with the ideas underpinning the European project, to renew the links between the younger generation and decision-makers as well as about the recommendations adopted by the conference in Košice. On behalf of Hungary the Minister of State stressed the crucial involvement of young people in decision-making. For the Hungarian Government it is the key to guarantee the safety of young people, and creating opportunities for them. In addition, she also mentioned the urgent problem of youth unemployment in Europe while she highlighted that data shows a decreasing trend in Hungary, and youth unemployment is (12.7 percent) below the EU average (18.2 percent).

In the field of education the main topic for discussion was the fostering and development of talent. Representatives of Member States gave information about the national policies and programmes of their countries, which aim to foster the development of talent. Ms Katalin Novák, Minister of State for Family, Youth and International Affairs stated in her intervention that all nations are proud of their talents and try to support them to achieve their full potential. Hungary also supports it’s talented youngsters in the framework of a long-term talent support strategy. Talent support reaches youth at all ages, from early years until adulthood and covers all fields, like sports, arts and science. Katalin Novák informed participants that the Hungarian Talent Program can get support from any Hungarian citizens because they may yearly offer 1% of their income taxes to the Program. Lately, almost 350 000 tax payers made such an offer. The European Talent Centre in Budapest is committed to continue to make efforts in order to promote talent support across Europe.

The Council adopted a resolution on a New Skills Agenda for an inclusive and competitive Europe, reached political agreement on the recommendation on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults. Conclusions were adopted on the prevention of radicalisation leading to violent extremism.

On the course of the Culture and audiovisual session the Council took note of a progress report summarizing the results achieved during the negotiations of the proposal for a revised directive on audiovisual media services. It was underlined by a number of ministers that on the course of future negotiations more emphasis has to be put on outstanding issues such as quantitative quotas for the promotion of European works, the protection of minors, the fight against terrorism, rules on commercial communications, ensuring a level playing field between the traditional and new service providers, and tackling the drawbacks of the country of origin principle.

The Council held a policy debate on the topic “Towards a EU strategy for international cultural relations” based on the joint communication of the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The Council adopted conclusions on sport diplomacy, building on the results of the Union level High Level Group on Sport Diplomacy, chaired by Pál Schmitt. The Council also discussed about the impact of sport on personal development.

The general approach will serve as the Council's common position to start negotiations with the European Parliament under the EU's ordinary legislative procedure. Minister of State Krisztián Kecsmár welcomed the efforts made by the Slovak Presidency and underlined that in our view the text put forward for a first-reading agreement in the Council provides for an adequate balance between the interests of the costumers, the contractual freedom of the traders, and the principle for providing legal clarity.

The Council held a policy debate on the implementation of Single market strategy in presence of Commissioner Bieńkowska. Minister of State István Lepsényi highlighted that Hungary agree with the removal of unjustified or disproportionate regulatory and non-regulatory restrictions. However any new proposal should follow the better regulation principle focusing on administrative simplification.

During the regular competitiveness check-up this time ministers focused on the possibilities of skills development and the link between the education system and the labour market. The discussion was based on Commissioner Bienkowska’s presentation. Minister of State István Lepsényi welcomed the New European Skills Agenda and supported its objectives: developing and retraining skilled work-force and activating the largest possible share of the work-force are crucial for the Hungarian skills policy.

The Hungarian delegation requested a debate on the Commission initiative “European Pillar of Social Rights”, declaring that social, competitiveness and economic policy aspects cannot be addressed separately; therefore, this issue should feature regularly on the agenda of the Competitiveness Council. Besides, State Secretary Lepsényi pointed out that the proposal (under preparation by the Commission, and public consultation is still open) should respect the integrity of the Single Market as well as the principle of subsidiarity. Several Member States shared the concerns of the Hungarian delegation. The Commission also welcomed the debate and explained that the main purpose of the proposal will be to provide a reference framework for social progress.

Talking about progress, it was also a very important moment that the United Kingdom confirmed that they would proceed with the ratification process of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court and would cooperate with the Member States in order to launch the unitary patent system as soon as possible, during the first half of 2017. Minister of State Krisztián Kecsmár from Hungary, as well as a number of other ministers and Commissioner Bienkowska, underlined that a unitary patent system entering into force in the near future with the broadest possible geographical coverage serves the interest of the European industry.

During the working lunch ministers had an open discussion about the future of the European car manufacturing industry; what are the challenges, what priority actions should be considered. State Secretary Lepsényi informed his colleagues on the Hungarian government’s most recent plans and actions to promote low emission mobility and reported on the Regional Digital Summit held on Budapest on 17-18 November 2016, focussing on connected and autonomous driving.

The Prime Minister stressed: Hungary will be a good partner during these six months, and will make every effort to seek solutions, results and cooperation opportunities with a view to finding or making headway to finding solutions within the boundaries of the European Union.

Hungary is an open state which is ready for consultation, Mr Orbán said. The Prime Minister described the meeting held with his Maltese counterpart – whom he referred to as an old and great friend of Hungary – as highly fruitful.

He remarked that there is good cooperation between the two states within the institutions of the European Union, and he regularly consults with his counterpart despite the fact that they belong to different political families.

Mr Orbán said: we highly appreciate the Maltese investors present in Hungary. He asked his partner to encourage further investors to move to Hungary.

Joseph Muscat, Malta’s Labour Party Prime Minister expressed his joy at the fact that his country’s businesses invest in Hungary to such a large degree, remarking that there will soon be a direct air service between the two countries.

He drew attention to the importance of liberal economic policy and job creation, but also pointed out: they did not only exchange views on the national affairs of Hungary and Malta.

The Maltese Prime Minister indicated that he understands the position of Hungary’s Prime Minister, and is glad that this is mutual.

"We cannot speak of definitive solutions amidst the circumstances of the changing global and European environment, what we want to achieve” during Malta’s EU Presidency is progress, Joseph Muscat said, adding that one of the sources of progress is open dialogue which both parties seek to maintain.

Malta will hold the EU Presidency in the next six months.

The uncut version of the English-language video recordings made at the event can be downloaded in the Press Room.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister, photo: Károly Árvai))

The State Secretary said: the series of conferences now launched is organised by the State Secretariat for EU Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade in order to enable foreign and Hungarian lecturers researching the present and future of the European Union to share their thoughts on the topic. The mini-conferences will be held with monthly regularity, he added.

Experts have an opportunity to share their views on the role of the Central-European region in the future of the EU, and also introduce the debates on the topic which are ongoing in the different countries. The main topic of the first part of the series is Brexit, the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, in the context of which the State Secretary remarked that they primarily concentrate on the positive scenarios which expect both Britain and the EU to come out of the separation process stronger.

„We have a vested interest in a strong European Union which will function in the widest possible cooperation with the United Kingdom even after the British exit from the EU”, he stressed. He added that at the same time they expect the United Kingdom to continue to form a part of Europe as it is not separating from the continent, but from the EU.

The conference was attended, inter alia, by Iain Lindsay, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Budapest, and Rastislav Kácer, Ambassador of Slovakia to Budapest.

(MTI)

At his press conference the Prime Minister told the media that he would have liked to see this issue discarded altogether, because he thinks that the Member States will never reach a consensus on it, and that therefore there is no point in keeping it on the agenda. However, the attempt to do this failed, he said. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, made it clear that the Commission will not withdraw its proposal, and as a result an impasse has emerged.

In order to resolve this, the European Union has asked Slovakia – which currently holds the EU Presidency – to develop a proposal.

Mr. Orbán pointed out that Hungary regards the money and energy it is investing in the protection of its borders to be an element of solidarity. He said that during the debate on solidarity, Hungary’s firm stance is that the EU should regard the protection of its borders as a part and a manifestation of solidarity.

By protecting the borders, he added, “we are not only protecting the interests of Hungary, but also the interests of everyone behind us and our borders – in other words, the entire European Union”.

At the same time the Prime Minister rejected the argument of those Member States which claim that, when it refuses to take in migrants, Hungary is showing no solidarity.

He pointed out that there are Member States which are not protecting their borders adequately, despite the fact that those borders are also external EU borders. “They are not showing solidarity with the other Member States of the European Union, but we are”, he stated.

The Prime Minister said that in the debate no decision was adopted on the Hungarian proposal that refugee camps should be set up outside the territory of the EU. Hungary continues to maintain that there should be scope for separating economic migrants from true refugees. The conditions for this are not available in the territory of the EU. It is much more humane not to let in those who are not eligible for refugee status than to forcibly remove them from the territory of the EU after they have been here for several months or years, he said.

He also argued that Ukraine meets all the conditions of visa-free travel to the EU, and Ukraine must be given the option of visa-free travel as soon as possible.

The Prime Minister said that the European Council requested the European Commission “not to neglect this issue” any longer.

At his press conference Mr. Orbán stressed that the European Commission has deceived the nation states with its proposal for mandatory quotas.

He pointed out that the European Union is an alliance of free and independent states, and the “alpha and omega” of this is that legislation must be based on guidance from the prime ministers. On two separate occasions the heads of state and government agreed that quotas must only be voluntary.

Mr. Orbán described the deception of the nation states as “a gutter-level trick” which, in his view, will do more harm than good in the long run. He added that it was the European Commission – which as the guardian of the Treaties should be trusted the most – which deceived the Member States.

The Prime Minister added that easing the sanctions against Russia could not be discussed in the talks, due to the situation which has developed in Syria.

Instead of this, on the agenda was the issue of potential further EU sanctions against Russia, because of military operations in Syria.

Finally, the leaders of the Member States made clear that practices which are contrary to international law must not go unpunished anywhere – including in Syria.

Mr. Orbán said that the European Council took the view that in such a situation the European Union must not remain silent, must stand up for civilians and innocent victims, and must do everything it can to curb or prevent military operations which could claim civilian lives. He told the press that the European Council had agreed to return to this issue in December.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)

At a press conference held as part of a Hungarian-Serbian government summit, the Prime Minister pointed out that life changes wherever migrants arrive in huge numbers, and “our children and grandchildren will ask us why we allowed our countries, our culture and ethnic composition to be altered, and why we allowed our lives to be changed for the worse”.

Mr. Orbán said that he empathises with migrants, and sees them as victims who have been simultaneously deceived by their own countries’ bad governments, by people smugglers and by a misguided European open-door policy. But, he continued, problems should not be brought here: help should be taken to where it is needed.

The Prime Minister said that Hungary is open to every Serb who wants to work, trade or invest there, or who simply wants to pay a visit: every Serb is welcome. He explained that migration, however, is a completely different issue, on which if you make a mistake once, it cannot be corrected. He said that if migrants believe that Hungary is a target country which they can enter illegally without controls, in unlimited numbers in the hope of a better life, they will stay and never leave. He added that Hungary is doing everything it can to enable everyone to return to their own countries; no one can enter or stay in the country illegally, in violation of Hungarian laws.

Hungarians likewise will not tolerate being told by Brussels who should live in their country, he stressed: this must be a decision for Hungarians alone.

The time has come to strengthen Hungarian-Serbian economic cooperation

Over the last few years the political conditions have been created for Hungarian-Serbian economic cooperation, and now the time has come to take a practical view on generating projects which serve the best interests of both countries, Mr. Orbán said.

During the press conference, which related to the meeting between the two governments and was jointly held with Serbian prime minister Aleksandar Vučić, Mr. Orbán said that analyses indicate that Serbia is on the threshold of a major period of growth. The figures speak for themselves, he added – though people find it hard to believe that better times will come, as “optimism is not a natural characteristic” among Central European people. Serbia’s boom is imminent, he continued, and consequently there are now far greater economic opportunities for investors than at any earlier time.

He said that in recent years a significant amount of Hungarian capital has accumulated, which is in search of investment opportunities. There are plans to invest some of this in Serbia, and now fruitful economic relations can also be created in southern Serbia.

The Prime Minister stated that as the political conditions are now in place, practical measures should be enacted, the language of business should come to the fore, and projects which serve the best interests of the two countries should be implemented.

The Prime Minister told his audience that Hungary has both good and bad experiences with foreign investors. The good experiences have involved projects in which investors checked their plans against Hungary’s economic strategy, and implemented long-term investments which were profitable and were accepted by the Hungarian people. This is also Hungary’s approach, and Hungarian investment will only be made in areas which serve Serbia’s best interests and are tied to the country’s economic strategy, he said.

At the same time, Mr. Orbán asked the Serbs to encourage Serbian investors to target Hungary, since although at this point in time Hungarian economic figures are better than those of the Serbian economy, over time this situation will equalise, and there should be balanced bilateral relations between the two countries. The Hungarian financial system is at the disposal of Serbian businesses, he said, enabling them to implement successful and tangible projects in Hungary, and the Hungarian government will support these projects.

In answer to a question, he pointed out that today Hungary is economically successful, and it therefore has resources which can be used to support Hungarian or Hungarian-Serbian joint projects in Serbia. He added that Hungary wants to become involved now in Serbia’s prospective success, which in three to four years’ time will be spoken about as something which is extremely natural.

The Prime Minister said that Eximbank has opened a credit line of EUR 61 million for Serbian and Hungarian businesses. This is not a final figure, however: once it is spent it will be extended, meaning that there will be no financial obstacles to Hungarian-Serbian cooperation, and all the conditions for thriving businesses will be in place.

He also highlighted that Hungary will support – with personnel, experts and financial resources – all Serbia’s measures aimed at stopping illegal migration. This is because Serbia’s stability is in the best interests of Hungary, Central Europe and the whole of Europe. He added that a good neighbour is always the best investment, and therefore Hungary has an interest in Serbia’s advancement. He also stressed the importance of the joint efforts being made against terrorism and in the interest of security.

Mr. Orbán stressed that Serbia regards the Hungarians living in its country as an issue close to its heart, and its policy supporting minorities is exceptionally positive in a European context. At the same time, Serbians living in Hungary may also rely on the Hungarian government. While fewer Serbs live in Hungary than Hungarians in Serbia, he said, “this is not an issue of numbers”, but of principle, and a matter of honour. Therefore the Hungarian government will always support the Serbian community, and will also guarantee the financial aspects of this, he said.

The Prime Minister mentioned that earlier the leaders had viewed the Prosek-Bancarevo motorway, which is currently under construction; although this road is being built in Serbia, it is also important for Hungary.

Mr. Orbán also told the press that two more border crossing stations will be opened, and he further stressed the importance of cooperation in the field of gas supply. At present Serbia has access to gas through Hungary, and not once has the country’s gas supply been jeopardised on account of Hungary. Hungary agrees to maintain this state of affairs in the future, he said, adding that if Serbia wants to store gas, it can do so in Hungary, where the entire system is available to it. He remarked that while Brussels has for the time being vetoed the South Stream gas pipeline, it is in the best interests of both countries for this pipeline to be built sooner or later.

Before the press conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and minister without portfolio for Serbia’s accession to the European Union Jadranka Joksimović signed an annual action plan for 2016–2017; this constitutes an annex to the Hungarian-Serbian memorandum of understanding on promotion of Serbia’s accession talks. Meanwhile Minister for National Development Miklós Seszták and Serbia’s Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlović signed an agreement on navigation of the River Tisza.

Following the US presidential election, there is a chance that the situation may improve

Mr. Orbán said he thinks that, following the US presidential election, there is now a chance to “push the reset button”, and for the situation to improve, and this will be successful.

At the press conference the Prime Minister said that in international politics there is a need for more modesty, empathy, understanding, partnership and intellectual humility than that which we have seen so far. Hungary has suffered immeasurably from the claim by others that they are “the arbiter of all that is right and proper” and the guarantor of all that is moral superior, and that whoever has a different stance on migration, nation or the family can only represent an inferior point of view, he said. He added that it is to be hoped that now we will see no more of such thinking.

Mr. Orbán said that the “unique Central European mentality” is very sensitive to every form of oppression, and for many long years now the sensitive peoples of Central Europe have had reason to feel that there is a kind of intellectual oppression in the world.

He said he believes that changes are also required in Europe “because we have had enough of being lectured, and of not being able to state our opinion without fear of being branded morally or politically”. He added that “We must free ourselves from intellectual oppression”.

The Prime Minister said that Central Europeans should also show more courage, and should speak and debate more freely. He added that now they will be in an easier position than they were earlier, and that they look forward with great anticipation and hope to the changes which are expected in the United States.

(MTI; kormany.hu, photo: Balázs Szecsődi)

The Council of health ministers (Health EPSCO), where the Hungarian delegation was led by Károly Czibere minister of state, provided opportunity for Dr. Miklós Szócska,Hungarian candidate for World Health Organization Director General to present his programme. Mr. Szócska highlighted that in his vision the following elements have special focus:

• The importance of European leadership in WHO - Europe is a place where we fought back communicable diseases, and member states developed solidarity based universal health systems. These values should be defended at global level. To lead the World’s only independent global health organisation, the European Union needs someone with strong representation of European public health and health system values, he said.

• The importance of pandemic preparedness and universal health coverage - According to Mr. Szócska we need more agility, more pragmatism, and global mobilisation for pandemic preparedness - and we have to start the long process to elaborate future mechanisms for global risk sharing, as the costs of one day global rundown of the world from pandemics can be measured only with the costs of one day global rundown of war or terrorism. WHO should also work agilely on spreading universal health coverage to ensure basic community services that prevent pandemics and poverty.

• The importance of change for WHO - The Hungarian Candidate also highlighted that WHO needs profound organizational change, more transparency towards donors and we have to develop change management capacities for exercising better interventions. He recognized that new business models are needed for ensuring access to high priced medications and to develop our defence for AMR. Mobile, ehealth and wearable device technologies in the 21th century will have a disruptive role like vaccination had in the 20th. These very cost efficient technologies can take health, diagnostics and care where it did not exist before.

• The importance of WHO as global change agent for health - The biggest killers are not communicable diseases anymore, but chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). For fighting NCDs that are challenging the sustainability of our health systems with the burden of disease, we spend only 2% of the voluntary contributions that accord 80% of the budget of WHO. This should also change.

At the Council meeting delegations discussed the future involvement of health ministers in the semester process, where Hungary is convinced that health ministers should be able to monitor semester related discussions.

The Hungarian government is also looking forward to the Commission reports on pharmaceutical innovation incentives, on the evaluation of the paediatric medicines regulation as well as the report on the nutrition labelling issues in connection with alcoholic drinks.

The Commission announced the imminent start of the European Reference Network in which Hungary sees a great potential from the perspective of providing better health care for patients suffering from rare or low prevalence complex diseases.

We congratulate the Slovak Presidency who managed to generate EU level debate on relevant issues like medicines shortages, and we wish all the best to the coming Maltese Presidency who is going to table important public health topics such as childhood obesity.

The Visegrad Group countries welcomed the focus of the December European Council on key challenges which the EU needs to face, heads of states formulated their opinion on migration, security, Ukraine and the digital single market.

You can find the Joint Statement here.

EU Agricultural Ministers have adopted Council conclusions on strengthening farmers’ position in the food supply chain and tackling unfair trading practices.

There was a strong support for calling the European Commission to prepare a legislative proposal next year which could tackle unfair trading practices in a successful manner.

At the level of the Visegrád Four and EU fora Hungary has always supported this initiative. The Government is strongly committed to defend farmers’ interests. Hungary has adopted several years ago a law which regulates unfair trading practices with regard to agricultural and food products – stressed Minister of State Andrea Gulyás.

The Minister of State underlined that apart from the measures taken farmers’ position in the food supply chain should be further improved as they are the most vulnerable link within the chain. The Ministry of Agriculture considers that price volatility risks should be shared more fairly by the different actors of the chain and market transparency should be increased.

The Agricultural Markets Task Force which has been established by the European Commission in 2015 has published its report on this topic in November. The report has made different recommendations regarding market transparency, risk management, contractual relations, competition rules and financing.

A 17 Fenntartható Fejlődési Célt tartalmazó Keretrendszert – amely a környezetvédelmi, társadalmi és gazdasági szempontok összehangolását célozza – az ENSZ 2015 szeptemberében fogadta el. A dokumentumban kiemelt helyen szerepel a víz kérdésköre, amely Magyarország számára hagyományosan fontos terület. A magyar delegációt vezető Fazekas Sándor földművelésügyi miniszter emlékeztetett, hogy a vízpolitika már a 2011-es magyar EU elnökség napirendjén is prioritás volt, ezt a témakört elemezték a néhány hete záruló, második Budapesti Víz Világtalálkozón is, amelynek eredményeiről a magyar tárcavezető tájékoztatást adott minisztertársainak.

„A vízgazdálkodási célok gyakorlati megvalósítása során egyaránt alapkövetelmény a fenntartható mezőgazdasági működés biztosítása, és a vízhez kapcsolódó ökoszisztémák megőrzése. A Világtalálkozó záródokumentuma segít kijelölni azokat az irányokat, amelyeknek köszönhetően a következő generáció számára is megőrizhetjük vízkészleteinket.” – hangsúlyozta Fazekas Sándor.

Az átfogó Fenntartható Fejlődési Keret másik lényeges eleme a vegyi anyagok és a hulladékok környezeti szempontból megfelelő kezelése. A vegyi anyagok kérdésében a Tanács – aktív magyar közreműködéssel – következtetéseket fogadott el, amely rámutat az uniós és nemzetközi folyamatok összefüggéseire és iránymutatást ad a kapcsolódó feladatok tekintetében.

A hulladékok, tágabb értelemben a körforgásos gazdaság témáját a soron következő, 2017 első félévi máltai elnökség kiemelt prioritásként kezeli – hangzott el Fazekas Sándor máltai kollégájával, José Herrera miniszterrel folytatott kétoldalú tárgyalásán. „A körforgásos gazdaság üdvözlendő célkitűzésének megvalósítása során tekintettel kell lenni az egyes tagállamok eltérő körülményeire és gazdasági teherbíró-képességére is” – hangoztatta a magyar tárcavezető.

Fazekas Sándor elismerését fejezte ki Sólymos Lászlónak, Szlovákia környezetvédelmi miniszterének az elmúlt félévben végzett eredményes EU-elnökségi munkájáért. A két tárcavezető megbeszélésén szóba kerültek a kétoldalú kapcsolatok aktuális kérdései, valamint a körforgásos gazdasággal kapcsolatos együttes érdekérvényesítés lehetőségei.

http://www.kormany.hu/hu/foldmuvelesugyi-miniszterium/hirek/a-fenntarthato-fejlodes-celkituzeseirol-targyaltak-az-unios-kornyezetvedelmi-miniszterek

The 2030 Agenda -comprising 17 Sustainable Development Goals that address environmental, social and economic dimensions of development- was adopted by the UN in September 2015. The document also deals with water issues, a traditionally important policy for Hungary. Hungarian head of delegation, Minister Sándor Fazekas recalled that water policy was already amongst the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency in 2011. The topic was also discussed recently at the Budapest Water Summit 2016 and the Minister informed the Council on the outcomes of the meeting,

“Protecting water-related ecosystems and ensuring sustainable agricultural operation are fundamental requirements during the implementation of water management goals. The final conclusions help to define those directions, which ensure, that water resources can be preserved for future generations. ”- emphasised Sándor Fazekas.

Another essential element of the overarching Sustainable Development Agenda is environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes. With an active role of the Hungarian delegation, the Council adopted conclusions on the sound management of chemicals. The conclusions describe the context of international and internal EU processes while also providing guidance with respect to the related tasks.

Waste management and in the broader context, circular economy is one of the priorities of the upcoming Maltese Presidency - stated José Herrera, Maltese Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change at the bilateral meeting with Minister Fazekas. “While we welcome the overall goals of the circular economy package,  Member States’ diverging specificities and economic capabilities should also be taken into account” - underlined the Hungarian Minister.

Sándor Fazekas commended László Sólymos, Minister for Environment of Slovakia, on the successful work during the Slovak Presidency. At their bilateral meeting, Ministers discussed current issues of the two countries’ relations, as well as opportunities for joint advocacy during negotiations on the circular economy package.

In Brussels on Friday, at a press conference held after the meeting of the heads of state and government of the EU Member States, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that in the migration crisis everything stands or falls on whether or not we close our borders.

He said that before the Thursday summit the Visegrád countries had laid down the three most important principles in a joint position: external borders must be protected; those who have entered must be returned; and those who want to enter must be guarded and screened for refugee status in territories outside the EU. These are the three pillars on which the position of the V4 rests, he said.

Mr. Orbán stressed that Hungary is successfully protecting its borders. Greece is unable to close its borders, however, while Italy is either unable or unwilling to do so. “From a European point of view, the situation in Italy is dramatic”, he added.

The Prime Minister observed that, regardless of the intentions of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the situation in Turkey is fragile, and this is a risk factor. Therefore the question is whether another wave of refugees could flow through the Western Balkans route in the future, he said.

Mr. Orbán said that this cannot be ruled out, but Hungary is able – on its own if need be – to limit and halt a migrant flow of any volume at its own borders, and to protect the interior of Europe.

Mr. Orbán added that in his view the responsibility lies with Brussels for allowing rejected asylum-seekers to leave Hungary for the West. He stressed that Brussels could redress the situation by altering the “unrealistic” rule under which asylum-seekers who appeal in court against the rejection of their applications may not currently be held in custody. He added that this proposed alteration was not accepted at the prime ministers’ meeting the previous day.

The Prime Minister believes it to be an important achievement that at the summit it was agreed that the EU must enter into agreements with African countries such as the one concluded with Turkey. “In the several instances where we have entered into such agreements and where we have managed to cooperate with the governments of countries of origin, we can see that we have achieved major results in reducing the number of people coming from those countries”, Mr. Orbán said. He specifically highlighted the need for the European Union to also conclude a migration agreement with Egypt.

He stressed that the Hungarian proposal for refugee camps to be set up and operated outside the territory of the EU, somewhere on the Libyan coast or another suitable area of Africa – which had previously been “branded as inhumane, impossible and mad” – is now gaining acceptance. “We are now talking about how we could accomplish this task, with whom we could come to an agreement, and where such facilities could be set up”, he observed.

Immediate visa-free travel must be offered to Ukraine

At a press conference held after the meeting of the heads of state and government of the EU Member States in Brussels on Friday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán asked what substantive assistance the European Union will extend to Ukraine if not the immediate offer of visa-free travel to its citizens.

Giving an account of the summit meeting which finished the previous night, the Prime Minister asked how the EU could seek to deploy military forces far from Europe without a joint army, when it is not even able to influence military events in Ukraine, and is likewise unable to offer the country’s citizens immediate visa-free travel: a non-military issue. There are no legal obstacles of any kind to the latter measure, and no one has dared to openly argue against it, he said.

He said that, regardless of any differences they may have on the rational and sound policy to be pursued in relation to Russia, on the issue of visa-free travel for Ukrainians the Visegrád countries take a highly pro-Ukraine stance.

The example of Syria demonstrates that there is a great deal to do in the field of European security

In relation to the situation which has developed in Aleppo, Mr. Orbán observed that the example of Syria clearly demonstrates that there is still much to do with regard to European security.

He said that if Europe does not have sufficient military strength, it will be unable to win militarily, and instead of actually settling the situation in Syria and helping those who live there, it is only able to repeat well-meaning platitudes.

The Prime Minister said that “The NATO Secretary General was a guest of the summit, to assist in avoiding future unnecessary duplications in NATO’s defence systems and the European Union’s prospective defence systems, so that European defence does not find itself in a position opposed to or rivalling NATO”.

In Mr. Orbán’s opinion, after the summit the prime ministers made statements related to the situation in Syria which were resolute and harsh by international standards.

“In the common declaration we can also find some tough wording – but we have to admit that though we have plenty of heart and a loud voice, we lack strength”, he said. He added that in every statement one can detect a degree of frustration stemming from the combination of these three factors.

People in trouble must be helped, and “all speculation and moralising should be left for later”, he said. At present there is only one task, he stressed: lives must be saved, while it is still possible.

Declaring good intentions is important, of course, because for Europe this is a matter of self-esteem. It is also important for the Syrian people, because, although Europe is not there to help them militarily, it is at least on their side in terms of diplomacy and international criminal law. Well-meaning platitudes, however, do not resolve a situation which others are now seeking to resolve in Syria through military might, Mr. Orbán said.

In answer to a journalist’s question on next year’s election of Hungary’s head of state, the Prime Minister said that he has great respect for President of the Republic János Áder and his work. He stressed that one of the important possible options would be for the current head of state to continue his work, if he wants to. He added that he respects Mr. Áder, and it would be an honour for him to be able to support him.

Listing the topics discussed at the European Council meeting, Mr. Orbán also said that “the European code-name for prohibition of centrally determined reductions in household utility charges” is an Energy Union – the elements of which have yet to be identified.

He said that he had pointed out in the current debate that, while Hungary agrees to the establishment of an Energy Union, the parties will have to reach an agreement on the issue of price regulation. Mr. Orbán observed that mandated reductions in household utility charges – in other words, state price regulation – affect hundreds of thousands of Hungarian families, and there are other countries in addition to Hungary which utterly reject Brussels prohibiting such regulation.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI, Photo: Balázs Szecsődi/Prime Minister's Press Office)

Prior to a meeting of EU heads of state and government in Brussels on Thursday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that “The concept of establishing refugee camps outside the territory of the European Union is gradually gaining a majority within the EU”.

In reply to a question from the press, the Prime Minister said that as yet this is not the majority view, but he feels that events are moving in that direction.

With regard to the whole migrant issue, he said that it can be seen that “the positions which were once condemned, despised, looked down upon and treated with contempt are becoming jointly-held positions. And people who stand up for these positions are today being welcomed as equal partners”.

Mr. Orbán added that in his opinion progress could be made in relation to the Hungarian proposal on migrants rescued at sea being transported back to their places of departure, adding that this “could point in the direction of common sense”.

The Prime Minister said that while earlier the council of heads of government was “only prepared to talk about the humanitarian conditions under which refugees could be let in”, and the protection of the EU’s external borders was a “taboo” subject, the latter has now become an acknowledged task.

On the subject of quotas aimed at distributing migrants, Mr. Orbán declared that this is a point on which he will not give in, as what German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants is something which the Hungarian people do not want.

He stressed the undesirability of distributing throughout Europe people who had been allowed into Europe in huge numbers, “most of whom are now obviously economic migrants”. Such distribution, he said, is now being proposed by those who let them in “to give everyone a share of the problem”, he explained. However, this is not just about desirability, he said, because in the referendum in October, 3.3 million people declared that “there can be no question of anyone having the power to decide who will live in Hungary, other than Hungary itself”.

Mr. Orbán also told reporters that there is another matter which is “currently creeping onto the agenda”, and this is “their attempt to prohibit our policy of capping charges for household utilities”. The European Union wants to introduce new regulations which would “prohibit countries from centrally fixing the energy prices for any group of consumers”. He added that “This has a great effect on people – the poor more than the well-off. This is a matter of honour, we must persevere on this, and we’ll not yield an inch”.

At his press conference the Prime Minister also mentioned the issue of visa-free travel for Ukrainians, stating that “The policy we are currently pursuing on this matter – that, while the Ukrainians have met all the conditions, we still won’t grant them visa-free travel – is morally untenable”.

(MTI)

Bertalan Havasi, head of the Press Office of the Prime Minister, has reported to kormany.hu on a meeting in Budapest on Tuesday between Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. During the meeting Mr. Orbán said that Hungary has a vested interest in a Brexit which is fair, and not punitive.

Michel Barnier, who is the head of the task force set up to conduct negotiations in London on Brexit – the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU – came to Budapest in order to learn about the criteria which are important for Hungary in this context.

At the meeting – which was also attended by János Lázár, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office – Mr. Orbán outlined the Hungarian position. The essence of this is to ensure that the rights acquired by Hungarians studying and working in the United Kingdom are not curtailed in the future. Mr. Havasi said that the Prime Minister also stressed the importance of continued stability for Hungarian employees of British businesses in Hungary.

The Hungarian prime minister and Mr. Barnier – who has previously served as the Foreign Minister of France and the EU Commissioner for Internal Market and Services – agreed that the rights and obligations which EU membership confers on both the UK the other EU Member States will remain unchanged until the moment that membership is terminated.

Hungary also has an interest in the maintenance of strong relations between the EU and the UK after Brexit. The head of the Press Office said that Mr. Orbán had, however, stressed that the EU’s four fundamental freedoms must be enforced equitably on both sides after the UK’s withdrawal.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister, photo: Károly Árvai, kormany.hu)