In Parliament on Monday, after talks with his Estonian counterpart, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Hungary has always had excellent and close relations with Estonia.
In July Estonia will take over the EU Presidency for six months, and Estonian prime minister Jüri Ratas came to Budapest to present his country’s presidency programme.
Mr. Orbán said that the rotating presidency is a formidable task, and the two men reviewed a number of issues in relation to this. He said that important tasks in the period ahead will be to enhance the EU’s competitiveness, and to ensure that Brexit proves to be a win-win situation for all parties concerned.
It is likewise essential, he said, to make progress on the issue of digitalisation – in which Estonia has always been at the forefront – and to reinforce defence policy cooperation.
The Prime Minister stated that they had also discussed the issue of migration. Hungary supports the German-Italian initiative for joint efforts to curb illegal migration outside the territory of the EU, he said.
The Estonian prime minister pointed out that while the aims of the Member State holding the rotating presidency are important, it is equally important to pay attention to what the other Member States would like.
As goals of his country’s presidency programme he mentioned an open European economy, a safe Europe, the enhancement of digitalisation and a sustainable union.
Mr. Ratas expressed the hope that the EU will be stronger and even more united after the Estonian presidency.
(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)
