Website van Hongaars voorzitterschap online (en)
The official website of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, eu2011.hu has been launched. The portal started on 20 December 2010, when foreign minister János Martonyi presented the program of the Hungarian Presidency in Brussels. The opening page of the website was shown on projectors during the first press conference of the Hungarian Presidency. Immediately before this, Belgianforeign minister Steven Vanackere held the farewell press conference of the Belgian Presidency.
The eu2011.hu website will be the main communication channel of the rotating Hungarian Presidency. Its declared mission is to provide quick, professional and credible information. It can be accessed in four languages: Hungarian, English, French and German.
The website is a comprehensive portal, where anyone interested may access information about Hungarian Presidency events and may use its services: foreign and Hungarian journalists dealing with the European Union, Presidency staff, diplomats and European citizens alike.
Because of the portal nature of the site, editors will also strive for exclusivity. In comparison with earlier Presidency pages, the site will host more up-to-date, current affairs articles, background documents and will have less content that is accessible elsewhere on the Internet.
The Presidency website will not only be for information, but for accreditation also. Members of official delegations and journalists may request accreditation to Presidency events through this website.
It is symbolic that the Hungarian Presidency webpage is the result of Belgian-Hungarian cooperation. Based on a State agreement, Belgium handed over to Hungary the content management system for the Hungarian Presidency website, thus visitors here will encounter similar technical solutions and contents.
The Presidency website is not only a source of news and information but also hosts a range of various online channels and tools enabling the visitor to reach the sought content faster. The toolbar at the top of every page can be used to set the language, access search options for news services, to access the newsletter, the customer service, media databases, email and SMS-notification. Those interested can also subscribe to a weekly newsletter in any of the four languages.
The structure of the page is simpler than that of previous Presidency pages (it only has four main menu options) and adheres strictly to the visitor’s main targets and paths. Hopefully this transparency will help contribute to easier navigation on the Hungarian Presidency website.
The website also contains information which helps the work of journalists and delegation members, making easier their potential stay in Hungary. Interested citizens can gather straightforward information not only about the Presidency’s work, but also about the functioning of the EU, its main policies and objectives.
The Presidency website also hosts cultural pages that are distinctive in their appearance and colours. Apart from presenting cultural events related to the Presidency, these pages also place a great emphasis on informing about Hungarian gastronomy and wine regions and on presenting the European Year of Volunteering.
The Hungarian Presidency website will be officially presented on 21 December 2010 in Budapest by Eniko Gyori, Minister of State for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Zoltán Kovács, Minister of State for Communication of the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice.