Hongaarse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken licht programma EU-voorzitterschap toe in Europees Parlement (en)

Foreign Minister, János Martonyi, held talks in Brussels with EP political groups and heads of parliamentary committees on the legislative priorities of the Hungarian presidency. Hungary counts on the Parliament’s cooperation in the earliest possible adoption of the legislative package related to the strengthening of economic governance.

Foreign Minister, János Martonyi, and State Secretary for EU Affairs, Eniko Gyori, met the leaders of the European People’s Party, the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, the Heads of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and the Constitutional Committees, the group of committee coordinators of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and the Secretary General of the European Parliament on 11 January 2011.

The aim of the first appearance in the EP, was to allow the Hungarian presidency to exchange opinions with the hosts on the legislative dossiers that take priority during the semester. Issues discussed with the EP party groups also included the Hungarian media law.

Economic governance

Martonyi met Sharon Bowles i, Head of the EP’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee. He explained that the Hungarian presidency considered the promotion of economic governance in the eurozone and in the whole of the Union as a cardinal task. Hungary therefore takes all measures to facilitate meetings on the six pieces of draft legislations proposed by the Commission in September 2010. Consultations are already in progress in the Council’s ad hoc working group, which was established in late November; while the competent EP committee is expected to vote on the package at the end of January.

Martonyi made it clear that the Hungarian presidency considered the European Parliament a key partner and counted on its endorsement to adopt the package, aiming to establish a stricter economic policy coordination system before the end of June.

Amendment of the Treaty

At his meeting with Carlo Casini, Head of the EP’s Constitutional Committee, Mr. Martonyi reviewed the questions related to the amendment of the Treaty. The Foreign Minister said that the amendment, which created a possibility to establish a continuous crisis management mechanism, was one of the most important events in the Hungarian presidential term. However, as President of the Council, Hungary would play a supplementary role in this process.

The parties touched upon the Council Regulation on the European Citizens’ Initiative to be adopted, ratified and enter into force during the Hungarian presidency term. They also mentioned that the EU intended to join the European Convention on Human Rights. The Hungarian presidency takes all possible measures to support Commission talks, Mr. Martonyi said.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister and the State Secretary for EU Affairs also met heads of the political groups in the European Parliament. Besides Hungary’s legislative ambitions the unfavourable reception of the Hungarian media law outside Hungary was also discussed. Mr Martonyi called his partners’ attention to the misunderstandings still surrounding the issue. He said that criticising a piece of legislation was quite different from offending a member state. This is remarkable because few countries have struggled more for democracy in Europe than Hungary.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister was of the opinion that the matter of the media law should be dealt with separately from the presidency issues. Guy Verhofstadt i, leader of the Liberal Group in Parliament, and former Prime Minister of Belgium agreed with Mr Martonyi’s position.

János Martonyi and Eniko Gyori, had a special meeting with the Hungarian MEPs, where they concluded that the success of the Hungarian presidential term was a common interest.