At a podium discussion in Berlin organised as part of Europe Week, Deputy State Secretary for EU Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office Vince Szalay-Bobrovinczky said that Hungary is still a Europe-friendly country, despite the debates of recent years.

At the discussion, held at the Hungarian Embassy in Berlin as part of a series of events organised in the run-up to Europe Day on 9 May, Mr. Szalay-Bobrovinczky emphasised that the most important element of the EU’s future development is the economy, and he noted that Hungary has recorded very favourable data: the Hungarian economy is expanding at a rate higher than the EU average, unemployment and sovereign debt show downward trends, and the budget deficit is being kept firmly below the EU limit.

Hungarian citizens’ commitment to the EU provides a “good basis” for promoting integration, he said. He went on to say that in recent years there have been a number of debates about Hungary in the EU, and these have mostly been “unnecessary”, as they were “not about the real problems”; they have not changed citizens’ positive attitude towards the EU, however.

The Deputy State Secretary pointed out that with EU accession Hungary has also made a treaty commitment to joining the Eurozone. Considering the Hungarian economic climate and its development perspectives this seems to be realisable, but in its current state the eurozone “is not necessarily attractive” to EU Member States that are not yet members of it, and the prolongation of the Greek sovereign debt crisis “makes identifying with it more difficult” for countries that are still considering a schedule and date for entry.

Also taking part in the podium discussion, which was watched by an audience of approximately sixty (including diplomats and researchers), was Peter Ptassek, Deputy State Secretary for EU Affairs at the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He said that for decades the most important issue on the EU agenda was enlargement, and the process has shown success; in recent years however, integration has become a more important issue, and in the present community of 28 Member States this is a much more complex task than it used to be.

Additionally, the EU is faced with a number of questions – from the issue of the proposed free trade zone with the USA to ensuring energy security – which “are bigger than the answers we have found so far”, Mr. Ptassek said.

Mr. Szalay-Bobrovinczky told news agency MTI that during his visit he also held private discussions with Mr. Ptassek, who informed him about his government’s standpoint on EU-related migration processes. He told his German counterpart that in the EU Hungary is in second place after Sweden in receiving refugees as a proportion of its population, and this is a significant challenge for the country. Concerning the national consultation on the issue, he said that the Government had not had the opportunity to discuss it before last year’s elections, when it was not as topical as it is now. The aim of the consultation is to provide political legitimacy for the Government’s actions.

On the concept of distributing asylum seekers arriving in the EU among Member States according to mandatory quotas, he said that this idea raises serious questions, as it may even make the internally borderless Schengen system impossible; this would be unacceptable to Hungary.

Mr. Szalay-Bobrovinczky also held talks with Claudia Dörr-Voß, Deputy State Secretary for EU Affairs in the German Ministry of Energy. Their subjects for discussion included the European Commission Directive on the development of digital economy, which is to be presented soon. Concerning this matter, the Hungarian Deputy State Secretary pointed out that the national digital development programme – due to run until 2020 – has been launched, and that the Visegrád countries and Romania have accepted a joint standpoint; the starting-point for this is that the EU-wide digital market may contribute significantly to economic growth and job creation.

The two politicians also discussed the investment promotion plan associated with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, which aims to mobilise over EUR 300 million. The Hungarian Deputy State Secretary explained that the main element of the Hungarian stance on this issue is that the new investment plan must not harm cohesion policy aimed at promoting inclusion, and that the available funds should primarily be spent on investments to ensure energy security.

(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)