János Bóka, Minister of EU Affairs, said that while Hungary's EU presidency in 2011 was very successful, the country's tenure in 2024 was "of historic importance".
Speaking on TV2 on Monday, Minister Bóka told a morning program that Hungary's EU presidency in 2024 "was a great success despite the huge headwind the government was facing". Months before it took over the rotating presidency on July 1, Hungary had faced accusations that it would fail as EU president "because the task went to a country with a vision and policy for Europe that is out of line with mainstream policies."
Contrary to the interests of many EU players, Hungary's presidency had been very successful concerning decisions on legislature, policy and large-scale strategies, he said.
The success of the Budapest declaration, adopted last November on the bloc's competitiveness, would depend on whether incoming presidencies and European institutions take the goals of European leaders seriously, he said. Leaders of member states would have to maintain pressure on the European Parliament in order to push through decisions to restore competitiveness, he said.
The declaration also outlines concrete measures and deadlines on steps such as cutting red tape and drafting an action plan on cutting energy prices, he said.
Minister Boka also praised the Hungarian contribution to Romania and Bulgaria becoming full members of the Schengen Area, adding that "Interior Minister Sandor Pinter has worked for a decade to bring this historic decision about during the Hungarian presidency," he said.