EU Affairs Minister: Hungary's EU Presidency Aims to Bolster Competitiveness

"The central priority of the Hungarian EU Presidency will be to strengthen EU competitiveness globally," European Union Affairs Minister Janos Boka said Wednesday in the closing speech of the conference organized by the Association for Hungarian Youth without Borders in Budapest.

A Határtalanul a Magyar Fiatalokért Egyesület konferenciája Budapesten Fotó: Lakatos Péter

The minister said Hungary also wants to point out what the EU institutions need to deal with and potential methods.

Janos Boka, minister for European Union Affairs, at a panel discussion during the Budapest Balkans Forum at the Corinthia Hotel on March 12, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Peter Lakatos)

Instead of intolerance, a culture of dialogue and tolerance must be created, together with developing forms of cooperation that have real added value, that make member states jointly stronger, and that aim to strengthen rather than diminish their capabilities.

Hungary will be implementing its ambitious EU Presidency agenda amidst a serious headwind, he said, noting that from day one, there will be those who brand the Hungarian Presidency a failure.

In the context of strengthening EU global competitiveness, Hungary intends to address the dysfunctions of the European internal market and industrial policy issues. Competition rules, international trade policy, energy and raw material supply also need to be on the table, he added, along with demographic issues, as factors impacting competitiveness.

The debate on whether maintaining or eliminating connectivity will make the EU stronger and more competitive must also be had during the Hungarian Presidency, he stressed, adding that Hungary's position on this issue is clear.

The minister also touched on the Cohesion Policy's contribution to improving competitiveness, as narrowing the gap between regions impacts the competitiveness of the whole Union.

During the Hungarian EU Presidency, the EU Cohesion Policy happens to be up for mid-term review, which is key in defining the policy for the next seven-year budget cycle.

The Hungarian EU Presidency will also address migration issues, focusing on the protection of the EU's external borders. He said that the government would like to see "certain innovative solutions" on the agenda, such as for how to process asylum applications in institutions established outside the EU's borders.

The Hungarian government also wants to achieve closer European cooperation on migration to combat organized crime and terrorism, the minister said.

In the context of migration, Janos Boka also pointed out that a new kind of anti-Semitism has emerged in the member states.

The Hungarian government would like to make tangible progress in the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area, he said, noting that this has been "unduly long in coming".

On EU enlargement, he stressed that the Hungarian government is committed to the accession of the Western Balkan countries.

We would like to see each of the Western Balkan candidate countries move at least one step towards membership,

he stressed, offering the assistance of the Hungarian Presidency in establishing an EU-Western Balkans meeting.

The values of national minorities would be included on the agenda under the heading of safeguarding cultural heritage, he said.

On the topic of the European Parliament elections in June, he assessed the last five years of the EU system of institutions as far from impartial, and heavily tilted in promoting and aggressively representing a political identity that does not line up with that of member states.

The EU institutional system denies and marginalizes Judeo-Christian cultural roots, while gradually dismantling the competences of member states.

"Things aren't heading in the right direction within the EU", and serious changes are needed along political, institutional and personal lines, he stressed.

The EU objective of halting the Bloc's economic decline has not been achieved, in fact the rate hasn't even slowed. And the green economic transition hasn't materialized either, he said in his assessment.

The EU has failed to become a dominant global political actor, the minister stressed, citing the handling of the Russian-Ukrainian war and events in the Middle East as examples.

He pointed out that the EU's intentions regarding food supply and the common agricultural policy are not clear. If EU institutions fail to protect European agriculture, irreversible processes could be set in motion, he warned.

Cover photo: Janos Boka, minister of European Union Affairs, speaks at a conference commemorating the 5th anniversary of the foundation of the Association for Hungarian Youth without Borders in the Aranytiz Culture House in Budapest on March 13, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Peter Lakatos)