Boka: Competitive EU impossible without competitive member states

Janos Boka told the seminar that Hungary had a “complex” relationship with European institutions, as the government thought that the EU “could do more for its citizens”. “European citizens want change in many areas. That demand for change has been incorporated into the Hungarian presidency’s programme,” he said.

Boka said the EU’s competitiveness was weakening, its productivity ailing, putting it on the back foot in international markets; it must remedy structural problems, he added.

Competitive member states are key to a competitive Europe, Boka said. The Hungarian presidency’s primary goal was to bring about a new competitiveness pact, an agreement between European institutions, member states, economic players and citizens on wide-ranging reforms aiming to boost competitiveness, he said.

That pact would work only if the united market was expanded and sectors determined where it was not effective, he said.

Infrastructure development “on the north-south axis of the EU” was also key, Boka said, noting that in the past five years, the EU has not funded investments into the transport of fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, European defence and security capabilities had also become a primary concern due to the war in a neighbouring country, Boka said. Hungary’s aim was to boost defence and security policy based on improvements of the European defence industry, he said.

Boka said debates on whether support for Ukraine should be a primary goal of the EU or an isolated strategic goal were often “conducted to mask another discourse” on the choice between supporting Europe’s defence industry of that of the US. The latter would mean European monies would flow into the US defence industry to satisfy Ukriane security needs, he said.

The event organised by the Singapore-based inter-governmental Asia-Europe Foundation was brought to Budapest with a view to boosting connectivity between the two regions and to offering an opportunity for media professionals to get acquainted with each other’s political culture.