On 19-20 November the EU Foreign Affairs Council had a ministerial-level meeting in Brussels. At the two-day event Hungary was represented by Defence Minister Dr Tibor Benkő and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó.
On 19 November, after the meeting of foreign ministers, at a working meeting the ministers jointly reviewed topical affairs of security and defence, and then adopted the council conclusions on security and defence.
Among topics of the meeting, the future of the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC), the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) compact and the new Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects were special priorities.
On the following day, the defence ministers’ programme continued with the meeting of the Steering Board of the European Defence Agency (EDA).
Following this, the defence ministers, in the company of the NATO Secretary General, reviewed the topical issues of EU-NATO cooperation, including military mobility, the possibilities for the development of cooperation between the two institutions, and action against hybrid challenges. In the context of the latter Dr Tibor Benkő stressed that Hungary supports the aspirations of Member States of NATO and the EU to develop capabilities which enhance resistance to hybrid threats. In connection with these capabilities, the Hungarian Defence Forces have set up a cyber defence centre which greatly contributes to the stability and security of Hungary as well as the region. Finally, the ministers conducted a strategic exchange about the future of EU CSDP missions and operations, with special regard to EU missions in the Mediterranean and the Sahel region.
In conjunction with the meeting, the defence ministers of the V4 countries and Croatia signed an agreement in which they welcomed Croatia’s joining of the V4 EU Battlegroup which will start serving in the second half of 2019.
After the signing of the document, the Hungarian Defence Minister conducted bilateral talks with his Polish counterpart as part of which they reviewed the two countries’ present and future defence cooperation and agreed that Poland would join the Budapest Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine shortly.
(Ministry of Defence)
