Minister of PM's Office: societies that suffered under Soviet rule far more strongly adhere to traditional European values

Societies that suffered under Soviet rule being far more strongly adherent to traditional European values lies behind the ideological debates that determine the functioning of the European Union today, the minister heading the PM's Office said on Saturday afternoon at MCC Fest in Esztergom.

Az MCC Feszt pódiumbeszélgetése - A Kárpát-medence új korszaka: kihívások és lehetőségek Fotó: Bruzák Noémi

When the European Union was founded and even at the time of Hungary's EU accession, everyone accepted the dominance of the French and German economies and tried to adapt, said Oszkar Vilagi, deputy chief executive officer of MOL Group. The problem began when member states started talking about values that had not been defined as European values. As no consensus can be reached in the debate on this, the EU is seeking to put in place mechanisms that bypass decision-making by consensus. 

Member states have come to realise that the new accession countries will not resolve the disputes but will further intensify them, and are weighing which new entrants will strengthen which camp.

Asked about the issues that will unite the  region's countries in the future and will facilitate cooperation, Gergely Gulyas noted that the best responses in the crisis management of recent years have mostly been national responses.

At the same time, the minister heading the PM's Office said that Central Europe is characterised by a kind of negative identity, that we do not want societies in Central Europe like the ones in Western Europe have become. This, he said, is an important opportunity for economic players and could open new doors.

He added that he is confident that the future of Central Europe is a common future, and it is important that this also has its driving force in the economy.

He highlighted that, in contrast to Germany's economic dominance in the 1990s, economic power centres have also been established in Central Europe by now. Consequently, Central European states can compete with each other not only in terms of investments coming from Western Europe or elsewhere in the world.

Even when the war in Ukraine is over, the countries in the region will be forced to cooperate, for example in developing new routes for energy imports, Oszkár Vilagi commented.

Retaining human intellectual resources and preventing the departure of highly qualified individuals are key to the future of Hungary and the region, said Andras Lanczi, Szechenyi Prize-awardee philosopher.

Today, young people from the Czech Republic or Poland do not opt for a university in Hungary, just as no Hungarian goes to study in neighbouring countries. The brain drain from the region has been going on for decades, and the change in the university model and the MCC both aim to improve this situation, Andras Lanczi said.

Water was identified as the most important area for cooperation by Gergely Boszormenyi-Nagy, chair of the Foundation for Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME). He stressed that Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and Romania are interdependent in this field, which will be facing many challenges in the near future. The countries have to decide whether they will turn inwards, taking into account only their own interests, or cooperate with each other at least at regional level.

Cover photo: Oszkar Vilagi, chairman and CEO of Slovnaft, Gergely Gulyas, minister heading the PM's Office, and Andras Lanczi, Szechenyi Prize-winner philosopher (from left to right) at the panel discussion The New Era of the Carpathian Basin: Challenges and Opportunities at the MCC Fest on 29 July 2023 (Photo: MTI/Noemi Bruzak)