Several high-ranking international politicians will be among the speakers of the webinar organised jointly by the Ministry of Justice and the Mádl Ferenc Institute of Comparative Law entitled ‘Dialogue on the future of Europe: How to build a more effective and genuinely strong Europe?’ The event will be held on Monday in the Parliament Building in Budapest, Justice Minister Judit Varga told the Hungarian news agency MTI on Friday.

She highlighted that the coronavirus epidemic had brought to the surface problems at an institutional level within the EU which has been compelled to face major crises in the past ten years. With a view to the management of the situation that has evolved, some senior European institutions collectively initiated the establishment of a series of conferences over a period of two years, as part of which the required reforms would be debated with the active involvement of members of the public.

While the pandemic has delayed the implementation of the series of events entitled ‘Conference on the Future of Europe’, Hungary believes it is important even amidst the present protracted crisis to ponder the future of our continent together. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice and the Mádl Ferenc Institute of Comparative Law are organising a second joint online conference, featuring reputable European politicians and renowned experts.

“It was evident already before the outbreak of the pandemic that the European Union must be renewed. However, the vision of a strong Europe cannot come true without genuinely strong nation states.

“It is with this conviction that Hungary is taking part in the EU discourse about the future of Europe,” Justice Minister Judit Varga said in connection with the event where she herself will be among the speakers, in the first section of the conference.

In addition to the Minister, such well-known politicians will attend the Budapest webinar as Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Suica, Antonio Tajani, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs, former President of the European Parliament, and Member of the European Parliament József Szájer.

Topics to be discussed during the conference lasting until the early hours of the afternoon will include the institutional challenges facing the EU in light of the management of the pandemic and the enforcement of democracy at an EU level. Members of the public can submit questions ahead of the conference, and these will be answered as an integral part of the programme, she said.

The event can be followed on webstream (www.parlament.hu/konferencia) as well as on Justice Minister Judit Varga’s social media page.

(Ministry of Justice/MTI)