Keresés: %s

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has proposed a ten-point action plan for protecting the external borders of the European Union and free movement within the EU.

The Prime Minister spoke about the “Schengen 2.0” plan at the meeting of the Centrist Democrat International (CDI) held in Lisbon on Friday. In an interview with public service media, he said that the plan is necessary because the European Commission’s proposal for management of the migration crisis is wrong-headed. The latter seeks to reform the asylum system, while Hungary takes the view that “we must protect the borders”, said Mr. Orbán, who is one of the vice-presidents of the CDI, an international organisation of centrist parties of Christian democratic orientation.

The action plan will also be circulated among the Visegrád countries and other EU Prime Ministers over the next few days. Next week Mr. Orbán will present the proposal in Germany in person, and also in a number of other European countries over the following weeks. The Prime Minister takes the view that it must be made clear to the EU that “it is not acceptable – as would be the case under the Commission’s proposal – for someone in Brussels to decide that the countries of the EU must solve their demographic and economic problems through immigration”.

Mr. Orbán said that “We believe that there are countries in the EU which wish to solve their problems in this manner, and there are others which do not”. He pointed out that Hungary falls into the latter group, because it does not seek to remedy such problems through immigration, but through prudent family and economic policy. He said that the EU cannot deprive Hungary of the right “to decide how we wish to resolve these problems”; in other words, the EU cannot create a system which it lets in migrants and then prescribes mandatory resettlement quotas for every Member State, he argued. The Prime Minister said that this is why the referendum planned to be held in Hungary in relation to the mandatory resettlement quota is important, because “now that we have Brussels’ official proposal on the table, there is enormous pressure on us. […] If we do not stop Brussels with a referendum, they will indeed impose on us […] masses of people, with whom we do not wish to live together”.

A number of other issues were also discussed at the CDI meeting, including the Panama offshore scandal. Mr. Orbán said that attendees pledged to aim for full transparency in this matter. “Every country with low taxes must disclose information to those countries enquiring about investments made there by their own nationals”, he said. During his visit to Portugal the Prime Minister will also have talks with Pedro Passos Coelho, President of the Portuguese Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Portuguese head of state Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)

~~A Környezetvédelmi Tanácson a klímapolitikával összefüggésben az elnökség bemutatta az előrehaladási jelentést az emisszió-kereskedelmi rendszer (ETS) felülvizsgálatáról folytatott tárgyalásokról. Sok miniszter sajnálta, hogy nem sikerült általános megállapodást elérni és a további munkát sürgették a Máltai Elnökség alatt. A miniszterek megvitatták a legfontosabb politikai témákat, mint például az ETS megerősítését, a pénzügyi alapok átláthatóságát vagy az ingyenesen kiosztható egységek mennyiségét. Az elnökség tájékoztatta a minisztereket az emisszió-kereskedelmi rendszeren kívüli (nem-ETS) ágazatokra vonatkozó jogszabályi javaslatok tárgyalásnak előrehaladásáról (Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR), és Land use, Land use change, Forestry (LULUCF)). Az ESR hatálya kiterjed a mezőgazdaságra, a közlekedésre, a hulladékgazdálkodásra és az épületek energiahatékonyságára. A LULUCF jogszabályi javaslat a földhasználathoz, a földhasználat-változtatáshoz és az erdészethez kapcsolódó tevékenységekből származó üvegházhatású-gázok kibocsátásának 2030-as klímakeretbe történő bevonására vonatkozik. A Bizottság tájékoztatást adott a november 30-án megjelent Tiszta Energia Csomag fontosabb elemeiről, különös tekintettel a nemzeti energia és klíma tervekre vonatkozó jogszabályi javaslatról. A nemzeti tervek első vázlatát 2018 elején kell benyújtaniuk a tagállamoknak. A Bizottság és az elnökség beszámolt a 2016. november 7-18. között Marrakeshben megrendezett COP22 éghajlatváltozási konferencia főbb eredményeiről.

~~During the Environment Council under the climate agenda points, the Slovak Presidency presented a progress report on the discussions on the revision of the EU emissions trading system (ETS). The ministers hold a debate on the most important political issues such as strengthening the EU ETS, the transparency of the financial instruments, or the available quantity of the free allocation. Many ministers regretted that the general approach has not been reached and urged further work under the Maltese Presidency. The Presidency informed the ministers about the state of play on the discussions of the non-ETS proposals (Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR), and Land use, Land use change, Forestry (LULUCF)). The scope of ESR covers the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, transport, waste  treatment and buildings. The LULUCF legislative proposal concerns the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry into the 2030 climate and energy framework. In the area of Energy Union, the Commission gave a presentation about the most important elements of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package adopted on 30 November, with special regard to the legislative proposal on the national energy and climate plan. Member States have to submit the first draft of their national plans early 2018. Finally, the climate part of the Council was concluded with information from Presidency and the Commission about the main outcomes of the COP22 climate change conference held in Marrakesh on 7-18 November 2016.

In Budapest on Thursday, at the ceremonial swearing-in of police officers who took part in the first phase of border guard training, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that the intense migration pressure on the Hungarian borders will not end within the next few years, and therefore border protection continues to remain a priority national security issue.

In his speech the Prime Minister stressed that Hungary cannot expect a solution from outside, from Brussels, and as a result “we ourselves must organise our own defence”.

Mr. Orbán also said that today Hungary is one of the European Union’s safest countries, thanks to the efforts of the defence and police forces: “There is no terrorism here, there is no mass violence, there are no trucks being driven into crowds of people”. This does not mean, however, that such atrocities could not happen to the Hungarian people, he warned.

Europe would have been better off, he continued, if it had not attacked Hungarian responses to the problem – responses which have proved to be viable and useful, and which have since been adopted by an increasing number of countries. “Our actions have proved that immigration can be stopped”, he said.

The Prime Minister stressed that the border guards were taking an oath to protect Hungary’s borders, and thus also to defend Europe, “as has been the custom around here for the past 500 years”. He said that “Over the centuries the destiny of the Hungarian nation has become to defend both ourselves and Europe ”.

In his view the era of naivety, illusions and weakness is over, and “the starting point must be what we see, rather than what we would like to see”. While there are some who believe that every person coming to Europe wants to live by the customs and laws which we have here, the facts appear to show the opposite: terrorist attacks, violence and crime, ethnic and cultural conflict all warn us, he said, that “those who come here do not want to live our way of life”, but would like to continue their own ways of life – but with a European standard of living.

The Prime Minister stressed, however, that migrants are also victims: victims of people smugglers, of European politicians who promise them admission and invitation, and of their own illusions.

“We understand them, but we cannot yield to their demands: we cannot let them into Europe. Nowhere do human rights prescribe national suicide”, he said, adding that among the illegal immigrants arriving in Europe there are also terrorists. As a result, he said, in a number of European countries innocent people have died; they lost their lives because of their own countries’ weakness.

Illegal immigration and unlimited migration simultaneously threaten the security of our everyday lives, our economic achievements and our culture, Mr. Orbán stated.

The European migration crisis has not come to an end, the Prime Minister said, and Brussels continues to seek distribution of the two million who have illegally entered Europe over the past few years. At the same time, he stressed, in the future his government will continue to do “what our sense of duty and conscience dictate”: in other words the Government will protect the Hungarian borders and the security of Hungarians’ everyday lives. “It is always better to be sure that we cannot be harmed, than to assume that no one wants to harm us”, he said.

In conclusion, the Prime Minister thanked the border guards for having the courage to perform this service: “Your courage forms the basis of the Hungarian people’s security”, he said.

In addition, the ceremonial swearing-in of the 532 non-commissioned officers at Hungexpo was attended by relatives, as well as by Interior Minister Sándor Pintér, Defence Minister István Simicskó, and György Bakondi, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister.

Last August the Government decided to increase the number of border guards under police command through the recruitment of an extra three thousand officers. Nationwide recruitment began on 1 September.

(MTI)

Mr Lázár said that the European Court of Auditors filed a report with OLAF with respect to the project implemented from EU funding worth HUF 452.5 billion. OLAF closed its investigation last year, concluding that several crimes may have been committed within the framework of the project. He said that his report to be filed with the prosecution service will contain OLAF’s findings and claims. He told the press that the total of the invoices, in the case of which acts of fraud, embezzlement, corruption, abuses, irregularities and theft may have occurred, amounts to almost HUF 170 billion. In the Minister’s view, we may have in this instance „an international left-wing crime” in light of the fact that investigations are ongoing in the case in Denmark, France, Britain and Austria. He said: it transpires from OLAF’s report that the public procurement legislation was breached in the case of almost every major public procurement element, and the contracts for the performance of the construction works were concluded through obvious fraud.

In Mr Lázár’s view, there was one project manager whose duty it was to implement the calls for proposals on behalf and for the benefit of the metropolitan municipality, but he additionally also accepted engagements from the applicant.

He added: according to OLAF, crimes were committed in the case of 58 contracts. While this was one of the largest projects in the country, there was no general contractor. In the European Commission’s evaluation, this may have caused Budapest and the EU a loss of some HUF 65 billion, he said.

As expected, Hungary will have to pay a fine of HUF 76.5 billion, this is how much „the performance of the former socialist-liberal city leadership at the head of Budapest” will cost, he added. Mr Lázár said: he believes that OLAF will disclose the report to the public in accordance with the EU’s procedural regulations. The Government did not proceed in the capacity of contracting authority, it was not the Government that conducted the investigation, the Government was merely informed, he said in answer to a question regarding the publication of the report.

In answer to the question as to why the report does not name the individuals chiefly responsible for the project, the Minister said that the OLAF report makes mention of contracts, and contains, in the majority of cases, the initials of the signatories to the contracts. In answer to another question as to where former Mayor of Budapest Gábor Demszky, and his former deputies, Csaba Horváth, János Atkári or, for that matter, Miklós Hagyó may stand in the rankings of responsibility, the politician said „in places number one, two and three”. In the context of accountability, he indicated that OLAF’s report contains the names of a number of companies, for instance, „Siemens is very much in the lead”.

Regarding metro line 3 – with reference to MSZP’s demonstration planned for Friday – he said: those are demonstrating for the refurbishment of metro line 3 who “robbed Budapest dry”. „MSZP is hungry. Do they think that they will now have the possibility to carry out the same all-out theft that was organised in the capital between 2002 and 2010 in connection with metro line 4?”, he asked the question.

The Minister said: in the context of the refurbishment of metro line 3, the capital enjoys the Government’s full support. The Government is ready to provide some HUF 138 billion from EU grants for the implementation of the project. In agreement with Mayor of Budapest István Tarlós, he believes that the works may begin in the summer.

Russian President to visit Budapest on 2 February

Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a visit to Budapest on 2 February, Mr Lázár announced. The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said: in the interest of making the necessary preparations for the visit, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó will travel to Moscow next week.

According to the Minister’s information, this is a usual annual meeting when the members of the Governments of the two countries review the latest social-political and economic issues. It will be an important meeting, but there is nothing extraordinary about it, given that the Hungarian and Russian Governments have met once annually on a regular basis in recent years, he said.

2017 will be an important year in foreign policy relations

In Mr Lázár’s evaluation, 2017 will be an important year in foreign policy relations, and not only on account of the entry into office of the new US President and Brexit. The Hungarian Government takes the view that, instead of multilateral cooperation, an era of bilateral cooperation schemes will set in. In other words, instead of international cooperation, there will be more intensive bilateral cooperation between nations, he explained.

It is in our best interest, he continued, that we enter into „fair” bilateral agreements both with the United States of America and with Britain. He added: the departure of the Brits from the European Union must be conducted in a fashion that is mutually beneficial for Europe and the British people. The parties must find mutual advantages.

He stressed that the Hungarian Government will also have to take a stance that serves to safeguard the interests of the Hungarians working in Britain.

We must prepare for the eventuality that the Turks are unable to honour their obligations

Mr Lázár also spoke about the latest issues concerning illegal immigration. He mentioned as the most important task that we must prepare for the eventuality that Turkey should not be able to honour its obligations undertaken with respect to migration, and as a result, another flow of immigration should set out. The Minister said: the Government is reckoning with the deterioration of the migration situation this year, and therefore Hungary must be prepared for protecting the borders of the country and the European Union also regardless of Turkey. He said that „while the shifts organised by György Soros provide a great deal of assistance for immigrants”, on the whole the situation depends on whether or not migrants are allowed through the borders of Turkey.

In this context, the Minister said it is a significant development that more than 500 border guards took their oaths in Hungary last week, and he further reported that the Ministry of Interior „is working with all its might” on reinstating immigration detention. He justified the latter with the risks inherent in the European security situation.

In his personal view, the installation of a second, interior fence will be absolutely essential during the period to come.

Upon speaking about US businessman of Hungarian origin György Soros, he also said in answer to a question that the intelligence services prepared a document regarding the influencing attempts of György Soros’s organisations and other similar organisations, in particular, concerning the countries of Central-Europe. This was presented to Parliament’s National Security Committee, and the fate of the report depends on the decision of the Committee, he said. „György Soros himself calls himself Viktor Orbán’s opposition, and he announces to the US press on a regular basis that he is engaged in a campaign with a view to altering the internal political scene in Hungary. This is something that must be duly evaluated in the National Security Committee”, he said.

Europe must have its own defence capabilities

Mr Lázár was asked about the statement made by Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Friday, claiming that NATO is „dated”, in the context of which the plan for a European defence system without the Americans has emerged. The head of the Prime Minister’s Office said in reply: the Hungarian position is that Europe must have its own defence capabilities. Therefore, the Hungarian Government is ready to support proposals which serve the creation of independent defence capabilities, he said, stressing at the same time that „it is early days to bury NATO just yet”.

In connection with this, he also said that the Hungarian Defence Forces are „some of Central-Europe’s, and perhaps Europe’s weakest defence forces”, and therefore the Government will discuss the development concept of the Hungarian Defence Forces in February. This will state how many soldiers and what kinds of military force developments will be required. He also promised that defence expenditures will be increased. He made it clear at the same time that the reinstatement of conscription continues to remain off the agenda.

In answer to a question, he said that Hungary will be represented by its Ambassador to Washington at Donald Trump’s Friday inauguration.

(MTI, photo: Károly Árvai/ kormany.hu)

I have instructed the Hungarian authorities to do everything they can to fully clarify the situation.

In the inapprehensible moments of grief, my prayers are with the families and friends affected by this tragedy.

(kormany.hu)

Szabolcs Takács, State Secretary for EU Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office told the Hungarian news agency MTI by telephone that the emphasis was laid at the meeting on the need to detain migration outside the borders of the European Union. There are also positive experiences regarding this effort: the agreement concluded with Turkey.

The solution is more complex in the case of North-Africa as the EU has to come to agreements with countries such as Egypt and Libya. If, however, the EU succeeds in controlling migration, the overall solution will be easier. To this end, Hungary is ready to make every effort, the State Secretary said.

The other main topic of the meeting was the smooth, problem-free functioning of the EU’s internal market, in particular, from the respect that the temporary reinstatement of border controls disrupts the free movement of goods and services.

At the meeting, the participants also discussed the departure of Britain from the EU, but regarding this issue, the parties have not yet formulated a definitive position, given that Britain has not yet triggered the relevant process. This issue and the future of the EU in general will be on the agenda of the informal meeting of the heads of state and government of EU Member States to be held in Malta at the beginning of February.

Mr Takács stressed at the meeting that significant changes had taken place on the international scene, a new US President had entered into office, and the European Union will have to give forward-looking responses to these changes in order to regain and to preserve its former significance in the world.

The attendees of the meeting paid tribute to the Hungarian victims who died in the Verona coach accident with a minute’s silence.

(MTI)

New era knocking on Europe’s door

The Hungarian prime minister said that a new political era is knocking on Europe’s door: instead of “open societies”, people want democratic societies.

Mr. Orbán noted that two decades ago Europe set itself some ambitious goals, but has failed to achieve a single one of them. As examples he mentioned the plan to create a common Eurasian economic region and a plan for an independent European security policy – both of which have failed.

The Prime Minister said that the main question is to what extent Europe and the European Union are ready to adapt to the new European political era. The situation is complex – indeed difficult – and calls for an open and honest debate, he added.

Many European leaders do not accept the need for European politics based on a new geopolitical approach, he said. The core principle of this form of politics will be that “whatever exists is possible”.

Instead of learning from the economic success of China and other Asian countries, Mr. Orbán said, Europe keeps deceiving itself that their success is merely transitory, that it has no foundations, and is therefore not possible. He stressed, however, that “This is silly, because whatever exists is possible”.

It is time to take the new President of the United States seriously

The Prime Minister said that the fact that the United States has a new leader is a decisive element in world politics, observing that it is time to take the new US president seriously.

Mr. Orbán said that, despite the fact that last year the British people decided to leave the European Union, that in December the Italian people gave their verdict in a referendum, and that the world’s leading military power has a new leader, many are still trying to convince the public that what we are observing is not a new reality.

In the Prime Minister’s view, Donald Trump has made a historic statement related to a change in US policy. The essence of this is the right of all nations to put their own interests first. The Hungarian prime minister described this statement as good news, expressing the hope that such a change will occur in the near future, and that the era of multilateral relations will come to an end.

We must prepare for a multi-centred world order

Mr. Orbán stated that we must prepare for a multi-centred world order, saying that there is no single solution that applies in every situation. Instead of multilateral agreements, he said, the emphasis will shift towards bilateral relations.

There was a change of paradigm in world politics after the 2008 economic crisis. Before that the world had a single centre of power, but the system now emerging will be multipolar. As change on such a scale has not taken place in the world, there is no consensus over the nature of this new world political structure, Mr. Orbán said.

Europe is afflicted by crises of competitiveness, demography, security and foreign policy

The Prime Minister pointed out that Europe must face four different crises at the same time: crises of economic competitiveness, demography, security and foreign policy.

The Prime Minister believes that the essence of the foreign policy crisis is that Europe is unable to influence the processes underway in the region – or is only able to influence them minimally. As examples he mentioned the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

He reminded his audience that in the next few years economic growth in Europe will be around 1 or 2 per cent. The continent, he said, has been reduced from a global player to a mere regional player – and Europe will soon have to struggle even to remain a regional power.

Europe is not focusing its resources on the right goals

In Mr. Orbán’s opinion, Europe is not focusing its resources on the right goals. It has failed to implement the plans it created, and has become a slave to the utopia of a supranational Europe.

He said that there is no European people: there are only European peoples. He added that Europe was strong when it had several strong centres of power.

He stressed that Europe once claimed global significance, was later reduced to the status of a regional player, and will soon need to struggle to retain even that status. Europe must abandon the very idea that there is a European people, as there are only European peoples. In Europe there are nations, and therefore we can only build on a policy which belongs to these European nations.

Europe needs more self-confidence

Mr. Orbán stated that Europe needs more self-confidence, and must be able to claim that it can protect itself without external assistance. With a common European defence alliance Europe would once again be able to negotiate as an equal partner with everyone – including Russia. Europe can be made competitive again if it abandons the illusion of federalism: Europe must become multipolar. This requires strong Member States, with a strong Hungary among them. This is the guarantee of a strong European Union, he stressed.

The Prime Minister added that to this end a new agreement must be concluded with the United States to replace the now unworkable free trade negotiations. In addition we must seek out opportunities, conclude an agreement with China, and return the issue of Russia to the agenda, the Prime Minister said.

In his welcome speech Hans-Gert Pöttering, former President of the European Parliament and Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said that Europe needs a common foreign and security policy, and that its external borders must be made safe through strong border protection. We need borders which provide refuge for those in need of protection, but which stop economic migration and do not permit anyone and everyone to enter the territory of the EU. A new asylum policy founded on European and Christian values must always respect human dignity. Europe cannot rely on anyone else, Mr. Pöttering said, and it is our responsibility to protect our unique values in the world, which rest on the foundations of freedom, peace, democracy, solidarity and human dignity.

(MTI, photo: Balázs Szecsődi)

Consultation on modernising and simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the title of the open public consultation launched by the European Commission on the 2nd of February 2017. The public consultation will run until 2nd of May and will give chance to farmers, citizens, organisations and any other interested parties to share with the Commission their views and proposals on the future of the CAP.

The consultation is the first significant step towards a new CAP after 2020. The input from the consultation will be used by the Commission when drafting its Communication due to be published in November 2017. The legislative proposals are expected to be published in 2018.

EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan will announce the results of the consultation at a conference in Brussels in July.

The Hungarian Government considers that farmers should send a clear, EU-level message towards the EU in order to preserve a strong and farmer-friendly agricultural policy. Hungarian farmers produce healthy and excellent quality food which serves as a basis for the national food supply system. Their activities contribute in a large scale to the development of rural areas and employment.

The questionnaire of the consultation can be found: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/FutureCAP

(kormany.hu)

“The sanctions policy has proven to be a mistaken and unsuccessful response, which has caused major damage to Europe while failing to realise the set goals, such as the enforcement of the Minsk Agreements”, Mr. Szijjártó said, “Conflicts of a non-economic nature must be handled via non-economic means. Maintaining the sanctions is causing losses for Europe; the Russian economy has already acclimatised itself to them”, he added.

“It is unfair that the European Union has not afforded Ukraine visa-free travel despite the fact that Kiev has fulfilled all of the set conditions, in addition to which progress should also be made with regard to the signing of a free trade agreement”, the Minister declared.

“What would truly help would be if Europe were to afford Ukraine the opportunity for the free movement of services, goods and people”, Mr. Szijjártó stressed.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed that Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is not in question, but we mustn’t forget about the various minorities living in the country, including the 150 thousand strong Hungarian minority.
Mr. Szijjártó declared that Hungary is not prepared to accept any amendment of the acts on languages or education that places the Hungarian community in a worse position that it is currently in, or which would prejudice the rights of Hungarians living within the diaspora.

Concerning the migration-related topics of the meeting of foreign ministers, Mr. Szijjártó said that without the stability of Egypt there can be no European security, because if it is compromised then tens of millions of people could set out for Europe.
“It is clear that the current leadership is better than the previous one with regard to both human rights and economic and social perspectives, and so instead of criticism we should be placing emphasis of providing support”, he said.

Mr. Szijjártó told reporters that at the request of Egypt the Member States of the European Union must vote to improve the North African country’s border defence capabilities, in addition to which the EU will also be deciding on awarding 500 thousand euros in aid, aimed at enabling Egyptian citizens to remain home.

With relation to Libya, the Foreign Minister stressed that we must strive to ensure that the targets of reinforcing the protection of Europe’s external borders and stopping the wave of immigration set down at Friday’s EU summit in Malta, and which Hungary has been proposing for two years now, are put into practice by the European Union as soon as possible.

(MTI/kormany.hu)

Hungary was represented by State Secretary Krisztián Kecsmár at the meeting of the Competitiveness Council of 20 February 2017. From a Hungarian perspective at the last Competitiveness Council of an outstanding importance has been, that a joint declaration has been signed by nine Member States – Hungary included – to express serious concerns about the recent developments going against Single Market principles and causing negative effects especially in the road transport sector. 

From a Hungarian perspective at the last Competitiveness Council of an outstanding importance has been, that a joint declaration has been signed by nine Member States – Hungary included – to express serious concerns about the recent developments going against Single Market principles and causing negative effects especially in the road transport sector. State Secretary Krisztián Kecsmár pointed out that a number of Member States had introduced or were planning to introduce measures with clearly protectionist nature (such as minimum wage and other rules concerning road transport). These measures are aimed at curbing competition from Central and Eastern European Member countries, however, they also weaken the sector’s competitiveness in the EU as a whole – he added.

With relation to the European Defence Action Plan, presented by the Commission, State Secretary Kecsmár agreed on the necessity to strengthen the EU’s defence capacity, but he added, that the balance between the Commission’s and Member States’ competences should be maintained. He underlined as well that the enhancement of defence capacities were to be based on existing institutions and tools, to be geographically balanced and its financing should not be at the expense of existing common policies, such as cohesion and agriculture.

The State Secretary emphasized the importance of traditional industrial sector during a debate on the future of the European Industry. He informed the other participants about the priorities of the Hungarian Digital Startup Strategy, about the regional cooperation of V4 Plus startup organisations and recalled that the next Regional Digital Summit would be organised this autumn in Budapest.

The Council reached a general approach on a proposal for a regulation on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws. The proposal will facilitate the coordination of common actions against the cross-border infringement of Union consumer protection rules and will enhance the cooperation of national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws.

The Presidency presented a progress report on the state of play and the outstanding political issues of the ongoing examination of the draft regulation to improve the current type-approval system of motor vehicles. The aim of the Presidency is to ask for the Council's endorsement of a general approach at its upcoming meeting in May. Commissioner Bieńkowska highlighted the importance of political decisions to be made in order to have a more robust system and claimed that the Commission should be given powers to ensure independent oversight. 

The Council held an exchange of views on the Clean Energy for all Europeans Package which was adopted on 30 November 2016 aiming at a complex energy transition by 2030 with priorities such as: energy efficiency first, global leading role in renewable energies, and affordability for consumers. Ministers presented their views on the possible timeframe of adoption and also exchanged views on strategic issues of the Package. 

Hungary was represented by András Aradszki sate secretary responsible for energy. Hungarian intervention focused on the following issues: The package represents a huge challenge to those who are participating in the legislation because of the comprehensiveness of the areas to be regulated and because of its complexity. We are not interested in their swift adoption, but in the elaboration of coherent and enforceable rules. There is concern that some elements of the package of proposals aim to limit the national sovereignty, the right to determine our own energy mix in line with the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, and affect the principle of subsidiarity and technology neutrality.

Hungary stressed that most critical issue is the phase-out of regulated end-consumer prices because we consider regulated end-user price as a necessary and important tool to provide consumers sustainable energy service for affordable prices. Without price regulation, energy poverty will increase. The proposed rules would lead to an unjustified limitation of the Member States’ room of manoeuvre with regard to the protection of consumer. Regional coordination and consultation with the European Commission should not lead to further limitation of the competences of Member States in the area of energy security. Guaranteeing security of supply is still the responsibility of the Member States, and the necessary tools for this should be provided for them.  

Hungary welcomed the efforts to further expand the Renewable Energy Directive for the period of 2021 to 2030. At the same time, it is important that the new regulatory framework is in line with the Council Conclusions adopted in 2014 October. It is important, that the energy efficiency target for Member States remains indicative in the framework of the National Climate and Energy Plan, keeping the principle of subsidiarity in mind.

At the February 28, 2017 Council meeting of Environment Ministers, the head of the Hungarian delegation, Minister of State Mr Zsolt V. Németh made a renewed proposal - based on work started on a 2011 Hungarian initiative - to create an EU-level disaster insurance system which would assure that the “polluter pays” principle is met even in the case of large-scale industrial disasters.

The European Commission recently published reports on the state of the implementation of the Environmental Liability and the Mining Waste Directives. The aim of both Directives is to prevent incidents and accidents that could cause serious damage to people’s health and the environment. In connection with the reports, the head of the Hungarian delegation, Minister of State Mr Zsolt V. Németh made a renewed proposal to create an EU-level disaster insurance system. The Hungarian Government presented the concept of a European-level risk-sharing financial facility in 2011, which was based on a proposal by the President of Hungary, Mr János Áder, then a Member of the European Parliament. The solution proposed would act as European-level insurance that would complement private insurance products if a certain threshold of damages is surpassed. The device would be an immediate and effective financial assistance to Member States in case of industrial accidents, to facilitate rapid disaster recovery, that is, help with damage to the environment and human health, as well as to private and state property. Despite existing EU legislation on liability, without appropriate mandatory financial guarantees, in the event of significant damage the party responsible for pollution may not be able to compensate for the damage it has caused. Therefore Hungary called on the Commission to continue the work on an EU disaster insurance system started in 2011

Member States also discussed horizontal environment policy issues. The head of the Hungarian delegation stated that it needs to be ensured that the EU economic and environment policy goals and roadmaps and the implementation of UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are in line with each other. Water policy, one of the priority areas within the Agenda, continues to be of great significance for Hungary. “Intersectoral cooperation that promotes mutual recognition, understanding and cooperation should be continued and even expanded. Regional cooperation, e.g. in the Danube river basin, complementing EU-level dialogue is indispensable”- emphasised Mr V. Németh.

In connection with the sustainable development goals Poland drew the attention to the main conclusions of the Encyclical letter of Pope Francis entitled “Laudato Si”, with human ecology as its centre point.

The Environment Council discussed the latest Presidency compromise proposal on the EU emissions trading scheme and reached general approach. The proposal on ETS revision has been discusses for more than 18 months. Based on this political agreement the Council will enter into negotiations with the European Parliament soon.

In the debate for Hungary, the guiding principle were to safeguard competitiveness of the EU and Hungarian industry and boost economy. Our aim is to design an ETS framework, which does not endanger competitiveness, but on the contrary, supports economic growth and job creation in the sectors across the EU.  For these reasons, one of the most important issues was how to set the rules right for carbon leakage assessments.  Hungary is of the opinion that the EU ETS provisions should be set in a way to avoid carbon leakage and investment leakage, and at the same time ensure industrial competitiveness.

The Council also tackled other climate related topics. Miguel Arias Cañete, climate and energy commissioner briefed ministers about the proposal on rules for reducing emissions from aviation under Emissions Trading System following the ICAO agreement reached last year. The Commissioner also informed ministers about the low-emission mobility strategy adopted in June 2016 and the possible use of unspent funds under NER 300 innovation programme in this context. The Netherlands and France drew Member States attention to the importance of implementation of the Paris Agreement and the related international developments. As a major signal, the two Ministers called for the completion of the Paris Agreement ratification’s process by all EU Member States, and jointly, for the completion of the final step regarding the process of ratification of the Doha amendment to the Kyoto Protocol.

On 3 March 2017 Katalin Novák, Minister of State for family, youth and international affairs and Péter Cseresnyés, Minister of State for labour market and training attended the Employment and Social Affairs (EPSCO) Council. The Council meeting was chaired by Minister Evarist Bartolo, Minister for Education and Employment, Minister Helena Dalli, Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties and Minister Michael Farrugia, Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity, representing the current Maltese Presidency. The European Commission was represented by Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility.

The revision of Regulation 883/2004/EC on the coordination of social security systems

As regards the draft regulation on the revision of Regulation 883/2004/EC on the coordination of social security systems, Katalin Novák underlined that Hungary attaches utmost importance to that Hungarian citizens can make full use of right to free movement and work, and Hungarians working in another Member States are not disfavoured. She also expressed her concerns that the discussion on the regulation is separated from the revision of the posting directive, while these two pieces of draft legislation equally affect migrant workers and their families.

The Secretary of State welcomed that in spite of the pressure from several Member States, the Commission rejects the possibility of indexation of family benefits and thereby does not wish to introduce serious inequalities.

On the other hand, there are grave misgivings concerning the proposed 12-month- period of work for entitlement to unemployment benefit in the last Member State of activity and 3-month-long prerequisite of aggregating entitlement periods. They are unnecessary and disproportionate measures and not justified by the impact assessment at all. These elements of the proposal put union employees contributing to the economic growth of the host country into a very indecent position.

It is also a very unfortunate that the proposal would make it possible for the member states to deny social security benefits for (the not clearly defined group of) economically inactive citizens, which represents a dangerous precedent of derogation from the principle of equal treatment.

Katalin Novák highlighted that the Commission’s impact assessment does not provide arguments why the status quo was not sustainable, and why any changes were foreseen while the supporters of maintaining the current rules had been in majority in the Administrative Commission. Nevertheless, she expressed her sincere hopes that the work in the Council would lead to such a result that the main achievements of the Regulations built upon the right to free movement are fully applied.

The revision of the 96/71/EC Posting of Workers Directive

The Ministers heard a short briefing from the Presidency on the state of play of the proposal concerning the posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services. The Maltese Presidency thrives for a possible general approach at the June EPSCO Council, although the Member States held a lively debate based mainly on the usual East-West division.

Hungarian Minister of State Péter Cseresnyés reaffirmed in his intervention the generally negative government position concerning the revision of the 96/71/EC Posting of Workers Directive. He emphasized the importance of small and medium sized enterprises in this respect and that all legislation adopted should support them and the EU’s competetiveness in general, avoiding the creation of excessive administrative burden. According to our position, instead of the revision of the rules on posting, we should focus rather on the fight against undeclared work which is the real underlying problem. Moreover, he reaffirmed the Hungarian position that the road transport sector does not fall under the scope of posting. Should this not be the case – based on many recent protectionist measures and the upcoming Road Package of the European Commission – it will cause the fragmentation of the Single Market and the loss of many European workplaces.

European Semester

The Ministers held a policy debate on the 2017 European Semester and adopted the Joint Employment Report. They also adopted Council Conclusions on the 2017 Annual Growth Survey and the Joint Employment Report, where the wording suggestion of Hungary was taken on board concerning the labour market integration of legally residing newly arrived third country nationals, to respect national competences properly. The European Commission briefly presented the 2017. country reports to the delegations.

Modernisation of the EU Occupational Safety and Health Legislation

The Commission presented its recent Communication on Safer and Healthier Work for All – Modernisation for the EU Occupational Safety and Health Legislation and Policy. A Ministerial lunch on Safer and Healthier work for all – modernization for the EU occupational, safety and health legislation and policy was also held.

Moreover, the Ministers adopted the Draft Council Conclusions on enhancing the skills of women and men in the EU labour market. The Presidency and the Commission also held a short presentation on the upcoming Tripartite Social Summit. 

On 6 March 2017 Hungary and Slovakia - with the support of several Central-Eastern European Member States - have raised the problem of dual quality of foodstuffs at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. Based on a number of investigations carried out by some Member States, it has been proven that dual quality of foodstuffs does exist on the EU’s internal market. Member States in favour agreed that this phenomenon is seriously harmful for the interests of consumers and causes a general loss of confidence.

Sándor Fazekas, Minister of Agriculture highlighted at the Council meeting that Hungary considers unacceptable that in relation with food quality some firms consider people living in Central and Eastern European as second-class EU citizens. Like all Europeans, Hungarian consumers also have the right to buy products which are of equally sound quality. The Hungarian position is that a specific legal framework with accountability is needed. The European Commission will initiate a dialogue on the subject with the competent authorities of the Member States.

The debate held on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy is closely related to the public consultation on “Modernising and simplifying the CAP”. According to the Hungarian position, the European Union should continue having a strong, two-pillar CAP, with sufficient resources allocated for achieving the objectives laid down in the Treaties. The CAP budget must be preserved, it should not be spent on other purposes. It must be avoided that farmers pay the price of political decisions. Hungary considers essential that farmers should receive the financial resources of the Common Agricultural Policy, thus new challenges can only be accepted with the allocation of necessary additional resources. In addition, real simplification is essential in all areas of the CAP.

The European Union will be competitive if the economies of the Member States are also competitive. Hungary therefore scrutinises all economic affairs from a competitiveness viewpoint, and urges action to be taken against the adoption of any decisions, whether at Member State, or EU level, that may undermine and compromise competitiveness, Szabolcs Takács, State Secretary for EU affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office said after the meeting of the EU’s General Affairs Council held on Tuesday in Brussels.

Mr Takács pointed out that European competitiveness is in the positive range and is improving in every Member State. Despite this, we must concentrate on the EU strategies which are able to sustain the Member States’ economic growth and can continue to keep competitiveness on an upward course. These areas include digitisation and industrialisation which reinforce integration and generate economic growth, whilst serving the best interests of European citizens.

The State Secretary stressed: we must take action against protectionist measures of every kind. The wage advantage, however, cannot be seen as social dumping as it enhances competitiveness as a concomitant of free competition. Hungary therefore expects the European Commission not to concentrate on the interests of a single country group upon the adoption of its positions, but on the functioning of the entire EU and the enforcement of EU law.

Mr Takács underlined: it is unacceptable for Hungary that certain multinational corporations offer goods of different quality in different countries. In his view, companies operating on the EU’s single internal market must not use double standards, and cannot mislead consumers. Not a single EU national can feel like a secondary citizen even from the viewpoint of food safety and food quality, he stressed. If this requires regulation at EU level, Hungary supports the adoption of such regulation, he added.

Upon disclosing the details of the meeting held in preparation for the two-day summit of the heads of state and government of the Member States which will begin on Thursday, Mr Takács said: the Hungarian position voiced for some time now, based on which the emphasis is placed on the external dimensions of migration in order to be better-equipped to control the process of migration, is beginning to gain ground. In this context, the European Union must adopt a package of measures which is viable and is capable of reducing the pressure of migration.

We must reinforce cooperation in the field of migration with the issuer and transit countries, and must introduce border controls on the EU’s external borders in the interest of enhancing security. An important element of this is the full and comprehensive observance of the migration agreement concluded with Turkey which significantly reduces the pressure of migration on the Western Balkans route, Mr Takács highlighted.

In the context of the issue of migration, he drew attention to the fact that the future of the Western Balkans region is an important question from the respect of the security of the whole of Europe. The State Secretary said that the European Union alone is able to alleviate the region’s political tensions which can be traced to historical roots. We must send a clear message to the States and inhabitants of the region to the effect that they, too, are players in and constituent parts of the common European future, the State Secretary said in stating his view.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)

“Hungary supports the affirmation of European defence cooperation”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared at a press conference in Brussels to mark a meeting of EU Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers.

“The Hungarian Government supports the preparations for the plan on the establishment of a joint European army and the goal of making Europe capable of operating and performing peace-making and peacekeeping missions in neighbouring regions”, Mr. Szijjártó explained.

According to the Hungarian Foreign Minister, the recent mass and uncontrolled wave of migration has also led to a never before seen increase in the threat of terrorism, which requires the EU to place the security of the continent and its citizens at the focal point of its politics.

    “The European Union must provide a rational response to the security policy situation that has developed by reinforcing NATO’s European “legs”, because conflicts that develop in the neighbourhood of Europe have a very serious and immediate effect on the security of Europe”, Mr. Szijjártó said.

The Minister stressed that in the interests of avoiding possible parallels, the expansion of the European Union’s defence capabilities must occur in harmony with its NATO commitments. “In addition, Hungary would like the issue of security cooperation to remain an inter-governmental sphere of cooperation”, he said.

    Mr. Szijjártó stressed that the stability of the regions neighbouring Europe is also extremely important with relation to handling immigration, because through stability the European Union could establish registration centres outside its territory in the interests of reducing immigration pressure. In reply to a question he said that he could imagine such centres being set up outside Europe, and not just outside the territory of the European Union. Mr. Szijjártó also mentioned that he and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who is also attending the meeting, had agreed that the security of Europe is to a great extent dependent n the stability of Egypt. “There are some 5 million potential immigrants waiting to set out for Europe in the North African country”, he said.

In the interests of preventing this, the ministers argued that Europe should support Egypt’s campaign to draw attention to the dangers of illegal migration. With relation to the growing and increasingly serious tensions and conflicts appearing in the Western Balkan region, Mr. Szijjártó stressed that the best way of combatting these was European integration.

According to the Minister, if the EU does not accelerate its enlargement processes with the countries of the Western Balkan region, and if it does not refrain for interfering in Macedonia’s internal affairs or Serbia’s minority policies in an “uncontrolled manner”, it could have unforeseeable results.  “This could affect the region’s stability, and accordingly the security of Europe, in addition to which Europe would lose its favourable position in the region by allowing other members of the global political arena to enforce their own development paths in the region”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

(MTI)

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution the Embassy of Hungary in Belgium and the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the European Union jointly organized on 21 December 2016, a performance of The Inversedance, Fodor Zoltán Company, "Doors without handles..." world premiere. Before the contemporary dance performance Mrs Katalin Dusaucy-Rapp, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy in her welcome speech emphasized the support of the 1956 Memorial Committee. Among the VIP guests many ambassadors, diplomats and EU officials were present. The Inversedance Company using modern-contemporary dance language that results fascinating and thought-provoking presentations.

There were 3 other spectacles in Belgium in 2017: on 2 March in Liège, in Turnhout on 7 March, and the Balassi Institute in Brussels on 8 March.

Some words about the performance – “DOORS WITHOUT HANDLES…”

A Hungarian contemporary writer wrote in her poem called „there is a country”: (…) it was my fault too, it was all my fault, yesterday began the past, so they told, it has begun – and it’s over now, there’s horror and peace anyhow.
The piece follows the system’s undiscovered „blank spot” in the years of the ruthless retribution. The soft dictatorship is tossing the daughter of revolution on a conveyor belt. The roar of the marching crowd is suppressed by the noise of battle tanks. Gallows tower over Freedom and Fight. The piece builds on the people’s natural thirst for freedom, a basic instinct taken away by the system. A bond shared by a nation; individual fates ending in a noose. Part of the hidden symbols – such as the rope – are easy to interpret. As the usual equipment of hangings, it is an allegory for death, but according to the mythology, it is also an emblem of connection and love, an expression of birth and passing. And where the past finally reaches the present, in a glimpse of peace the participants become both victors and defeated. An outbreak from below…
The 50 minutes long, full-length dance performance in one act came to life to respectfully commemorate those who lived trough the events of 1956.