Gyori: Herstel moet burgers als eerste voordeel geven (en)

Job creation, Roma integration and furthering enlargement should all be high on the agenda of the European Union communication activities this year, said Eniko Gyori, Minister of State for EU affairs, at an interinstitutional meeting, on 18 January 2011 in Strasbourg. She recalled the motto and credo of the Hungarian presidency: "Strong Europe" with a human touch, which she believed was well within these themes.

The Interinstitutional Group on Information, a tripartite body consisting of high level political representatives from the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission discussed the plans for communication proirities in 2011 and the implementation of the priorities last year. Speaking to the forum, Eniko Gyori stressed any economic recovery should be felt first and foremost by the citizens and a jobless recovery would be a useless recovery. This was at the heart of the program of the Hungarian Presidency, and this also had to be communicated in an effective way both at European and Member States level. It should also be in mind when designing and implementing the Europe 2020 strategy and the European semester, she said.

To create lasting and sustainable economic growth, we also have to pursue social inclusion, Ms Gyori added. It was for this purpose that an EU framework on national Roma integration strategies was needed, she pointed out. It was a major objective of the Hungarian Presidency, as the Roma minority provides a largely unused potential and additional resource for economic activity.

She went on to say that enlargement should continue, as the credibility of the Union depended on the reliability of this process. The communication mistakes of the previous enlargement rounds should not be repeated. Enlargement had to be communicated in a more intensive way. Ms Gyori believed this was needed for the general public in all Member States to better understand the benefits this process could bring to the Union as a whole and also to individual Member States.