17/01/2011

Building a stronger Europe
The aim of the first ever Hungarian Presidency

By Miklos Panyi, Hungarian Press Adviser

On Wednesday 19 January, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will present the programme of the first ever Hungarian EU Presidency in plenary in Strasbourg.

The backdrop

The challenges facing Europe are numerous and call for even stronger and broader cooperation than ever before in the history of the European Union. A transformation of incredible speed and depth is happening throughout the world. Europe must be able to hold its own in much stronger global competition than before. Economic recovery is still not established; therefore further efforts should be made to boost growth and employment. Due to high public deficits, the eurozone is still under pressure, for which stricter financial coordination is necessary. To achieve these goals strong leadership and efficient management are essential for Europe, a crucial role which Hungary has to play in the next months.

The economy

In strengthening European economic coordination, the Hungarian Presidency should hammer out an agreement on enhanced economic governance and for the creation of a permanent crisis mechanism. The amendment to the Lisbon Treaty should also be implemented.
Besides strengthening financial stability, the Presidency should place special emphasis on stimulating growth and boosting employment, in accordance with the goals set in the EU 2020 Strategy.

Regional and agricultural policy

Negotiations on the future of the Common Agriculture Policy and Cohesion Policy will also start in the next months, giving Hungary the responsibility of influencing the direction of further developments. The differences in regional development between Member States should be reduced in the future, which means Hungary will work to lay the foundations for further negotiations on a strengthened cohesion policy.

Looking East: partnerships and energy

The Hungarian Presidency will also focus on enhancing the Eastern Partnership Programme and enlargement. The integration of the Western Balkans is in Europe's common interest. For its geographical position and historical reasons, Hungary is well-placed to promote this process. For similar reasons Hungary is also the ideal advocate for progress in the creation of a common energy policy, including the promotion of energy infrastructure projects, diversifying energy supply routes and sources, advancing energy efficiency.

Roma and the Danube

The establishment of a Danube strategy and the launch of a European Strategy on Roma are among the Hungarian priorities as well. Strengthening regional cooperation demonstrates the European spirit that stretches over borders and provides substantial benefits in both economic and environmental terms.
The integration of the millions of Roma in Europe is an urgent matter and is not only a responsibility but a great opportunity as well - particularly as the only Roma MEP in the European Parliament is Hungarian, EPP Group Member Lívia Járóka.

We are confident that the Hungarian Presidency can be successful in these great endeavours with the support of the EPP Group.