Toespraak Barroso over de relatie Hongarije en de EU (en)

José Manuel Durão Barroso

President of the European Commission

Hungary at the Centre of an Enlarged Europe

National Assembly of Hungary,

Budapest, 15 September 2008

SPEECH/08/428

"Hungary at the Centre of an Enlarged Europe"

Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly,

Honourable Members of the Parliament,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour for me to address the Hungarian Parliament: the home of Hungarian democracy. It is indeed my second visit to the National Assembly. I was here in 2006 to celebrate the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the totalitarian dictatorship: a historic moment in your fight for freedom.

I am very pleased and grateful for the chance to make a contribution to the debate on Europe in Hungary and I wish to salute the role of Hungary in the European Union since its accession in 2004. For all those directly involved with European politics, it is quite clear that Hungary is back at the centre of Europe. The fact that Hungary, you as the Hungarian Parliament, was the first Member State to approve the Treaty of Lisbon is a powerful demonstration of its engagement in Europe.

The Treaty of Lisbon is the first European Union Treaty negotiated and signed by the 27 Member States, including all those states that could not negotiate and sign previous Treaties, from the Rome Treaty to the Nice Treaty. This is why the logical implication, for all those who defended the last enlargement, is to fully support the Treaty of Lisbon. This House has clearly grasped the connection and today I am very pleased to acknowledge that.

From today, Hungary also hosts the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. I attended the Inauguration Ceremony this morning and I deeply appreciate the national consensus in your country on the significance of the Institute for European scientific progress. As you know the creation of the Institute is very close to my heart. It was a priority of this Commission and I am very proud to see it launched before the end of the mandate. Innovation is crucial for the future of Europe and the Institute will play a central role in the development of a more innovative Europe.

The location of the Institute in Budapest can also be seen as a tribute to the Hungarian tradition in science. On my last figures, I counted 18 Hungarian-born or Hungarian-speaking Nobel-Laureates. Not many countries can claim that, and perhaps no other country of Hungarian dimension in terms of population can be proud of such an extraordinary achievement.

Honourable Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The parliamentary dimension is a central element in the European Union democracy. The European parliamentary dimension refers not only to the European parliament, but also to the national parliaments. They have an important role to play in the politics of the European Union.

In 2006, the Commission announced its intention to transmit directly all new proposals and consultation papers to national Parliaments, inviting them to react and to contribute to the improvement of the policy formulation process in the European Union. It is a way to establish a permanent political dialogue with national parliaments, offering them the opportunity to be more active in the preparation and development of European policies.

In Europe we cannot be bureaucratic or technocratic, we have to be democratic!

The political dialogue was launched in September 2006 and since then national parliaments have sent 263 opinions to the Commission. Our analysis of the results of this cooperation is very positive. National parliaments have found the new mechanism useful in three ways:

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  it provides an opportunity for them to take a more pro-active attitude about European issues;
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  it reinforces their right to information;
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  and it allows them to better scrutinize their own governments.

The interest of national parliaments in using this new mechanism is also proof of their commitment to the European Union.

The relationship with national parliaments has been a priority for this Commission. Besides the dialogue mechanism, I have also had the privilege of visiting national parliaments in 21 Member States. And, taken together, the Members of the Commission have met national parliaments and Committees over 400 times. No other Commission in the history of European integration has addressed national parliaments so many times.

In the future, national parliaments will continue to have more scrutiny powers over European matters and will have more opportunity to have their voice heard at the EU level, most obviously through new mechanisms to ensure respect for subsidiarity. This anchored in the Lisbon Treaty. I welcome this as real progress.

However, at the same time, I wish to emphasise that the principle of subsidiarity should increase the efficiency of the European Union by helping to establish more efficient institutional partnerships. It should not serve as an excuse for institutional blockage or even for a regression in European integration.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me now turn to the positive effects of European reunification through the last enlargement.

I would summarize the basic principles of European enlargement in three words: peace, freedom and solidarity.

With tanks rolling into European cities once again, and people running away from military clashes, it is more appropriate than ever to remind ourselves of the peaceful nature of the European political project. For the first time in its history, after the last two enlargements in 2004 and 2007, Europe was peacefully reunified. 'European peace' does not mean merely the absence of war, but a new way of ordering and organising politics in Europe: a political order where institutions, rules and negotiations replace violence and wars. It is the democratic way of conducting politics.

Enlargement was also about political freedom. Just over half a century ago, the people of Hungary expressed, in the streets of Budapest,

Their love of freedom.

Their demand for democracy,

And their wish to return to Europe.

In the short term, their fight for liberty and justice was tragically crushed by Soviet military power. But that spirit could never be destroyed and lived on.

In 1989, Hungary finally became part of the free world, part of the European Union, and part of a voluntary community of free countries. The European Union is the natural destination for the countries of central Europe, who fought so hard and so long for their freedom.

The relationship between freedom, democracy and European integration is also part of my political and personnel experience. I grew up in a country where we had at the time no political freedom. For the Portuguese people, the European Union was also the place we sought as the guarantor of our freedom and democracy.

This historical experience gave me two firm beliefs, which I wish to make clear to you today.

First, enlargement is one of the greatest successes of the European Union.

Secondly, European construction is above all about freedom and solidarity.

The third basic principle of enlargement is solidarity. Let me be very clear. For this Commission, cohesion is and will be a fundamental policy of the European Union. There is no place in Europe for a division between 'rich' and 'poor', 'old' and 'new', 'big' and 'small' countries. In Europe we all share the same level of dignity.

In the beginning of the European project, after the War of 1939-1945, all European countries were equally poor. Some had the good fortune of being among those who were free to initiate European integration. Some suffered the tragic fate of being on the wrong side. European cohesion and European convergence are the means to alter such historical injustice.

The commitments for the period of 2007-2013 in terms of financial help to Hungarian regions and investment in areas such as transport, environment, research, innovation, entrepreneurship and social infrastructures will considerably improve the economic and social conditions of Hungarian citizens. Yet, to be effective, it is essential to ensure that proper monitoring and control systems are established and operational.

Still in the area of cohesion policy, I would like to make two further points. First, I want to stress the linkage between cohesion policies and a more flexible, competitive and open economy. It is crucial to have cohesion with innovation. I don' t agree with some remarks saying that cohesion policy is a policy of the past and competitiveness of the future. Cohesion policy exists precisely to reinforce competitiveness. Secondly, we cannot neglect those who are suffering nor the more backward regions. Cohesion and economic convergence policies have to take into account social, economic and regional disparities.

Honourable Speaker, Ladies and gentlemen,

The last two enlargements taught us a great lesson: the European Union is a force for justice and stability. We face, however, a challenge: our capacity to bring justice and stability to Europe has to go beyond enlargement. We need to find mechanisms that enable those countries, which are not in a position to accede to the Union, to reinforce their political and economic systems and to be more secure and stable. Stable partnerships between the European Union and Eastern Europe will be very important for the future of European political and security order. The Commission is accelerating preparations of its proposal for a Partnership for Eastern Europe, to be presented by the end of the year.

The principles and values of the European Union order must be extended to our neighbourhood. Our neighbouring regions need the European method of putting together different national experiences;

The European principles of open societies and open economies;

The European multilateral way of interstate cooperation;

And the peaceful means to solve political conflicts.

The so-called 'new' Member States have to be at the heart of this effort. As countries that fought so hard for democracy, for freedom, for solidarity, they have to be at the forefront to help others who are struggling for the same values. I know that Hungary strongly supports our efforts in the stabilization of the Eastern neighbourhood regions and I fully welcome that position. I am also very grateful for Hungary's constant support for the enlargement process of the EU.

Chairman, honourable members, ladies and gentlemen,

The recent crisis in the Caucasus should lead us to draw some conclusions. First of all, considering the instability of some neighbouring regions and transit routes of energy, Europe needs more than ever a common energy policy: a policy that allows us to reduce and to diversify European external energy dependence, and to increase European energy security. This also explains why we need new environmental policies. Besides the responsibility of fighting climate change and the need to protect our planet, there is a security dimension: to build a more climate-friendly society will reinforce our security and our stability.

Our energy and climate change package is a response to those concerns and aims at a fair effort between all Member States. Fairness is a central principle of our package. We know that Hungary has specific concerns and we are discussing with your authorities ways to find constructive solutions. But we also know that Hungary fully supports the need for the package, and I count on your engagement and commitment.

Our environmental balance, our security and our international reputation and leadership are at stake, and the next three months will be crucial. Our package will make a better Europe and our citizens more secure.

Another conclusion of what happened during the last month or so is that the European Union needs to reinforce its external capacity. We have seen in the Caucasus crisis that the EU was the only actor to come forward with a peaceful solution. We need the political commitment, but we also need the right instruments to act in a decisive way in a world that is more unstable, more unpredictable and sometimes more dangerous. The Treaty of Lisbon gives us that and this is another reason why we need to conclude the ratification of the Treaty. I believe that more Europe and our values are important for our neighbouring regions and indeed for the world.

Honourable Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen,

To conclude with your recent history, returning to Europe meant embracing democracy, freedom, solidarity, justice and peace. In your fight for these values, you also brought the lessons of your past. In particular, the rejection of

Totalitarianism and dictatorship;

Military occupation and wars;

Poverty and economic exploitation.

Thus, the last enlargement was also a European renewal with its defining values, with its founding principles and a clarification of what we stand for and what we reject. In this light, the enlarged Europe is also a rejuvenated and a more vigorous Union. I fully trust that Hungary will play a central role in such a Europe.

Thank you for your attention.