Boka: Boosting European competitiveness focus of Hungary’s agenda

Hungary wants to institute a European competitiveness pact within the framework of the European Council during its presidency, putting the issue in the central focus of politics and highlighting areas where constructive decisions can be made, such as streamlining EU legislation, cutting red tape for European businesses and broadening the internal market.

The latter may encompass services, IT and Europe’s defence industry, he added.

A proper European capital market which boosts infrastructure and energy links and establishes a European industrial policy aimed at fulfilling key European objectives, such as the green transition, is also a central objective, Boka said.

A European security and defence policy aimed at strengthening the bloc’s peace and security and managing the migration crisis by strengthening Europe’s external borders and bolstering international partnerships will also be promoted under Hungary’s presidency, he said.

“There’s a basic need … to properly handle this crisis that has persisted since 2015,” he said.

The presidency comes at a time when the European parliament and commission are in the process of being formed, he noted, adding that Hungary would strive to ensure the smooth operations of European institutions during this period while ensuring that the bloc is able to respond to world events.

The prime minister will symbolically take over the presidency from his Belgian counterpart and meet the president of the European Council on Monday, he noted.

The minister said Hungary plans to organise a summit of the EU and Western Balkans in addition to a Gulf cooperation forum.

Fully 37 formal council meetings are expected to take place in Brussels and Luxembourg, he said.

Politically, Hungary’s presidency “will be successful if, as well as managing the institutional transition, it also shows how it is possible to deliver the change that European citizens expect, based on the outcome of the EP elections…” the minister said.