France also backs the Hungarian EU presidency's proposed agenda, which focuses on strengthening the European economy, the Hungarian prime minister said in Paris on Wednesday following talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. After the meeting PM Orban told public media that he had arrived in Paris on the third leg of his European negotiating tour, following stops in Berlin and Rome. With Hungary taking over the rotating EU presidency in a few days, the two leaders discussed Franco-Hungarian bilateral relations and the next six months of the EU.
After signing agreements in Berlin and Rome, we also reached one here, as well. We secured the approval that the next six months in Europe under the Hungarian presidency will be about improving the competitiveness of the European economy,
the PM announced.
Western Balkans integration was also discussed. Some countries in the region have been on hold to join the EU for fifteen years. "This is wrong, bad and perhaps even humiliating," he said, noting that there is an overwhelming majority of countries that want to see the countries of the Western Balkans, including Serbia, in the European Union as soon as possible, and that Hungary will work for this in the upcoming period.
The two leaders welcomed the development of France-Hungary relations, according to Mr Orban, and both are confident that they will be further strengthened.
Currently, 45-50 thousand Hungarian families earn their income from French-owned companies operating in Hungary, and the trade turnover between the two countries has doubled in ten years, he pointed out, adding that one of France's largest companies is also an operational and business partner in Hungary reacquiring majority ownership in Budapest Airport. Having had talks with VINCI the day before, Mr Orban confirmed with President Macron that this is not merely an investment, but a major development program that is important for both France and Hungary. European affairs were also discussed at the meeting. The PM recalled that the French are leading the European Nuclear Coalition, a group of countries who maintain that nuclear sources are essential to reaching clean energy and a no emissions economy. Hungary has been a member of this coalition from the outset, and the steps of further cooperation have been clarified, he said, pointing out that French companies are massively involved in the construction of Hungary's Paks II power plant project.
Viktor Orban and Emmanuel Macron have also agreed on expanding defense industry cooperation. France has already brought defense industry investments to Hungary, but the two countries are also exploring new opportunities for cooperation, Hungary's prime minister said.
PM Orban noted that his talks with the French president also covered the war, an issue where Hungary and France hold significantly differing opinions. "I made it clear to the president that Hungary isn't concerning itself with either Ukraine or Russia; it's concerning itself with peace," he said. "Hungary is not against one country or another, but against war. "It's the war that we want to stop, so the most important goal for us is to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible to prevent further loss of life," Viktor Orban emphasized.
When asked about Chinese-Hungarian relations, PM Orban noted that the topic did not come up during the discussions in Paris. Everyone knows that Hungary has historically maintained balanced and positive relations with China, and China has also elevated its cooperation with Hungary to a very high level, he said. The EU is aware of China’s role in the modernization of Hungary’s economy, and China has invited Hungary to participate in its economic modernization efforts.
This entails an ever-increasing economic cooperation, to which the Europeans have no objections, nor can they have any,
he pointed out.
Regarding the distribution of top EU positions, PM Orban confirmed that this process is complete. However, he emphasized that "Perhaps due to its size and traditions, Hungary has always advocated for involving everyone in European decisions. It is not good if the most important positions for the next five years along with the associated programs are decided on a party basis by those who have appointed themselves to this. It is never good if there is a governing party and an opposition, a majority and a minority in the European Union," he warned. "Everyone should be included, but this move has become more of a coalition of pro-war and pro-migration parties, which Hungary has a duty to oppose," Viktor Orban pointed out.
Cover photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (r) and French President Emmanuel Macron (l) after their talks at the Elysee Palace on June 26, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Hungarian PM's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)
