János Bóka, the EU affairs minister, told a press conference on Tuesday that notwithstanding "multiple crises, a transitional institutional period of severe political headwinds and institutional obstruction", Hungary brought about "historic decisions" under its EU presidency.
He noted the Budapest Declaration aimed at boosting the bloc's competitiveness following a unanimous decision by EU leaders, the full Schengen membership of Romania and Bulgaria from Jan 1, and the twin summits held in Budapest on Nov 7-8, namely that of the European Political Community and the informal meeting of the European Council, "the biggest diplomatic event in Hungary's history".
Fully 39 formal council meetings were held in Brussels and Luxembourg during the presidency, while 14 informal ministerial meetings were held in Budapest, including the first meeting of ministers responsible for demography, Bóka noted.
Also, nine political trialogue agreements were ushered through the European Parliament under Hungary's presidency, he said, also noting the adoption of a council declaration on the fight against anti-Semitism.
Regarding the Budapest Declaration, Bóka said the document set out specific expectations with deadlines, though the Hungarian government was disheartened by early signals regarding its implementation, he added.
The minister also noted the adoption of strategically important policy decisions such as the ministerial declaration on the future of the common agricultural policy and cooperation in justice and home affairs.
The presidency, meanwhile, oversaw the institutional transition so that EU institutions and their new leaders could start operating on Dec 1, he said.
Hungary was a fair mediator, he said, yet it also presided over a strong political presidency that demonstrated the need for change and "the possibility of a real European alternative".
The current Polish EU Presidency should take these initiatives forward, he said, adding that it did not bode well, however, that Poland was "mixing its bilateral and internal political conflicts" into its presidency.
Bóka said the US presidential election and changes in the European Parliament presaged change, which "must be forced through by member states, including Hungary". He added that 2025 was therefore likely to be a year of conflicts.
Bóka noted that a permanent team for the EU's common security and defence policy had been set up under the Hungarian presidency. He said the working group had completed preparations for a common European defence industry strategic concept but "could not get over the threshold" in the European Council. He said he trusted the subsequent Polish presidency could complete the task before preparations for the next seven-year budget.
The Polish presidency is not part of negotiations concerning community funding for Hungary, Bóka said, adding that the country had met all preconditions for accessing the funds and "they are being withheld exclusively for putting political pressure [on Hungary]."The Hungarian government will use all legal and political means to ensure that "Hungarians have access to what is owed to them," he added.
Answering a question about Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's peace mission, Bóka said the EU's strategy concerning the war in Ukraine "does not require consensus", so the Hungarian presidency had had "extremely limited room to come up with initiatives". "The prime minister, however, felt a moral and political responsibility to do something towards securing a ceasefire and meaningful peace talks," Bóka said. Orbán exhibited "remarkable political courage" when he embarked on his peace mission, and "the positive results are now obvious," he said.
The minister said the EU presidency had been handed over to Poland "in the customary, formal manner".
Concerning Hungary's granting political asylum to former Polish justice minister Marcin Romanowski, Bóka said such a move "should not be a burden on any [foreign] relations... This has been a legal process in which the Hungarian authorities observed all rules". He also added that a Hungarian court would deal with the possible implementation of an European warrant Poland has issued against the former minister. Granting political asylum "is not taking a stance whether the applicant is guilty or not guilty", Bóka said, insisting that the basis for such a decision was "whether procedural concerns have a foundation or not". In Romanowski's case those concerns are "obviously not unfounded", he said. "This case should not affect the activities of the Polish presidency".