Hongaarse president noemt Europees Parlement de 'ziel van Europa' (en)

"Europeans need a successful, a triumphant and strong Europe- a Europe which is equally based on the community of interests and values, and in which the individual nations are also strong", President of Hungary Pál Schmitt told a formal sitting of Parliament today.

"What I would have given to get 20 minutes of speaking time in this chamber a year ago," quipped current President of the Republic of Hungary and former MEP Pál Schmitt at the start of his formal speech. More seriously, he praised Parliament as "a prime example of the important role that parliamentarism, and the culture of open debate play in European thinking," adding that "what we have here is not a simple laboratory of legislation, but much more: the soul of Europe."

Responsibility and solidarity are key concepts for Hungary's current Presidency of the European Union Ministers, he said, stressing the Union's need for solidarity on finances, energy security and with countries wishing to join the EU. The Union must also take responsibility for economic recovery,  dealing with Europe's borderland and for the Roma minority, he added.

Referring to his past as an Olympic athlete, President Schmitt said: "I am a fencer, I participated at the Olympics in this discipline and therefore the metallic sound of swords is not alien to my ears. Still, I do not think that we should be competing in the European political arena today to see who can overcome the other, who can win with force. Our historic mandate is not to wage mere political games of chess and tactical prestige battles, but to serve a cause: to strengthen cohesion and to seek a compromise."

The full text of President Schmitt's speech will shortly be available on the Hungarian Presidency's web site, in Hungarian and in English (see link below).

Procedure: Formal sitting