János Bóka, the European affairs minister, said a task of Hungary’s European Union presidency is to ensure that “the voice of European citizens is heard” and considered in decision-making.
Bóka said in his keynote address at the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC) in Budapest that the message of the recent European parliamentary elections was that “Europeans expect the EU to yield more and be better,” adding that “if we pretend that European policy-making could go on in the usual way, we would let down our fellow citizens and betray their hopes and expectations.” The minister called for a “new agreement on European competitiveness” and said improving the productivity and competitiveness of the bloc as a whole and its members was crucial. Strengthening Europe’s defence policy is another important objective, Bóka said, adding that the EU “should take a greater role in ensuring its own security through increasing its resilience and capacity to act.” Speaking about the enlargement of the EU, Bóka said the process should continue to be “based on [candidates’] merits, balanced, and authentic”. He said Ukraine’s case was “unique” in that “the integration process is coupled with the EU’s broad and complex support to that country in its fight against Russian aggression”. The Hungarian presidency will also support Moldova and Georgia in their endeavours to join the EU, Bóka added. Referring to the Western Balkans, he said that “besides managing the integration process we will further study the possibility for gradual integration”, that is options to provide access for candidates to EU programmes and projects before they gained full membership. The Hungarian presidency will focus on the importance of protecting the external borders and ensuring the necessary financing, he said. The presidency will promote a dialogue on the future of cohesion policy as well as initiate preparations for a “producer-based” agricultural policy, Bóka said. The Hungarian presidency will also facilitate continuing dialogue on efforts to prevent foreign interference in election procedures, increase the fight against anti-Semitism and promote minority rights, the minister added.
Deputy House Speaker István Jakab, who opened the conference, said the Hungarian parliament aimed to “promote a greater role of national parliaments in EU policy-making and the application of and respect for the principle of subsidiarity”. Jakab noted that the Hungarian presidency was hosting five inter-parliamentary conferences in Parliament while the sixth would be hosted by Brussels. Concerning agriculture, Jakab said that “unprecedented challenges” of current times such as climate change, increasing “input costs”, and “too ambitious tightening of regulations” as well as increased imports from third countries had considerably weakened the sector’s competitiveness and “jeopardise the livelihood of European farmers”. Jakab noted the increased importance of adapting to changing conditions, but added that “it is impossible without modern equipment”. Farmers should be given incentives to use sustainable technologies and the EU’s common agricultural policy “must be made producer-focused.”
Responding to European dignitaries’ comments on EU enlargement and other issues, Bóka said the Hungarian presidency was ready to cooperate constructively with the EP. “Whenever the EP is ready, so are we.” Regarding the war in Ukraine, Bóka welcomed the “honest and open dialogue” on the subject. All member states agree that Ukraine had been attacked and that Russia is the aggressor in this war, he said. Ukraine has a right to defend itself, it must be supported and a solution must be found that is acceptable for the country, he said. At the same time, EU member states’ views differ on ways for Europe to have an “autonomous role” in the conflict, and not every state agrees that to achieve that, Europe must function as a channel of communication, he said. Member states differ on whether the conflict can be solved on the battlefield, he added. “We must agree, however, that we must be able to discuss contested issues,” he said.