Hungarian foreign policy after Covid-19

What changes has the post-coronavirus-world demanded from the Hungarian foreign policy?

4. A sustainable West

We cannot be remiss that no matter what happens in the west, it will affect our country. It is vital to work together and if we must, confront the west to defend Hungary’s interests. A perfect example was how Poland and Hungary disputed the EU relief package – not because we needed it, but in a show of solidarity – to remove any rule of law criteria so that this would not become a tool for political manipulation. As Viktor Orbán stated, we won a battle, but not the war; demographic issues, migration, and Europe’s falling behind remain conflicts. The sustainability of the west and our cooperation is based on the freedom, security, and prosperity of our citizens.

5. A Europe that serves us

Despite Hungary’s frustrations, the European Union – along with the European Council – are some of the most important structures of western civilization and we view them as such. Hungary’s European politics does not seek “less Europe” but rather the guarantee of freedom, prosperity and security for all citizens; the institutions which were established to serve citizens are becoming all too oppressive. Hungary aims for stronger cooperation in regard to digitalization and a European military. The approaching Hungarian presidency of the European Council in 2021 will serve as a chance to strengthen member states.

6. Central European stability

Over the course of the epidemic it became evident that Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe’s prosperity is a top security priority; the Polish presidential elections were an encouraging sign. Some of our most important tools to create stability in the region include Visegrad Group cooperation, the Three Seas Initiative, EU enlargement, as well as our own effective regional politics.

7. An authentic EU perspective

A significant foreign policy accomplishment was our contributions of health supplies to our Balkan and Eastern partners. Because it is necessary to sustain this in the long-term, we fully support EU Enlargement as well as the Eastern Neighborhood Policy; it’s not enough for these nations to remain mere economic partners, they must strive to and eventually become members. It will be an enormous opportunity for Hungary – along with the EU and the relevant candidates – to head this section with the leadership of Olivér Várhelyi as EU Commissioner.

8. National Neighborhood policy

An important task of our foreign policy is to dispel misconceptions of our own neighborhood and national policies. Not only is effective neighborhood policy necessary for the success of the region, but the prosperity of these neighboring countries is in our interest given the large Hungarian minorities living there. Our regional politics are essentially successful: we have positive relations with Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, and in the past years, with Serbia as well. The recent Trianon gesture of the Slovakian Prime Minister greatly improved relations with our northern neighbor as well. The current level of cooperation in the region must be further developed in order to rebuild the area’s economy with special consideration in cultivating Romanian and Ukrainian relations in the same way as with our other bordering neighbors.

The writer is a member of the National Assembly (Fidesz) and serves as the Chairmen of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee