Pools voorzitterschap wil successen van Hongaars voorzitterschap voortzetten (en)

Poland wishes to continue the Hungarian Presidency’s efforts to make the EU stronger and more dynamic, stressed the Secretaries of State for EU Integration of both countries, at a press conference in Budapest on 2 June 2011; after discussing the imminent takeover of the Presidency. The Polish Secretary of State called the Hungarian Presidency highly successful.

Hungarian Minister of State for EU Affairs, Eniko Gyori said, “I hope that ‘continuity, dynamism and stronger Europe’ will stay around for the whole of 2011”. She emphasised that during the Hungarian Presidency, “Central European cooperation has worked well ... and represented a major strength inside the EU. I am sure that this cooperation will continue under the Polish Presidency and Central Europe will come in the limelight,” she added.

Hungary “wishes to give” the Presidency takeover due on 1 July, “a dynamism, which will reflect the traditional Hungarian-Polish friendship,” said the Hungarian Minister of State.

Making a balance of the Presidency, Ms Gyori declared: she was convinced that “the EU will be stronger and cooperation between the Member States will become deeper, by the end of the Hungarian Presidency.” Speaking of the specific achievements, she stressed, “There will be a Roma Strategy, there will be a Danube Strategy, and we now have in place a common energy policy, whose implementation will be launched by the Polish Presidency. The Hungarian Presidency has laid the foundations for the work, related to the Multi-annual Financial Framework, which will be started by the Polish Presidency,” Ms Gyori added.

Successful Presidency

Polish Secretary of State Mikolaj Dowgielewicz said, “The Hungarian Presidency is a success, and Hungary has done a great job for the EU. We highly appreciate the Hungarian Presidency’s professionalism… we are happy about the successful Presidency; congratulations,” said Mr Dowgielewicz, adding, “We really appreciate that the Hungarian Presidency has often emphasised the Polish-Hungarian friendship.”

The Polish Secretary of State called the agreement on the reinforcement of economic governance “a great achievement of the Hungarian Presidency”, and expressed hope that the relevant agreement will be signed with the European Parliament, by late June. He also called the decision made in February on the energy policy, a merit of the Hungarian Presidency.

According to Mr Dowgielewicz, the Polish Presidency will have three key priorities, 1) the EU’s enlargement, 2) launching the development of the Multiannual Financial Framework and the deepening of the single market, and 3) the reinforcement of the Eastern neighbourhood policy.

EU enlargement

The Polish Secretary of State said that the issue of EU enlargement “was made acceptable again by the Hungarian Presidency”. Mr Dowgielewicz expressed hope that the accession talks with Croatia will come to a successful end during the Hungarian Presidency, and the accession treaty will be signed under the Polish Presidency. He also hoped that Serbia will be granted candidate status, and accession talks will be launched with Montenegro.

On the Eastern neighbourhood, Mr Dowgielewicz reiterated that the EU should make the benefits of the European perspective palpable. “In the next months, better offers should be made for the Eastern neighbours,” he said. The only detail he revealed was the proposal to provide EU budget support to reforms, in the neighbouring countries. “Such support should be subject to a set of criteria, along the line of the ’more for more’ principle,” he explained.

Agreement on Schengen enlargement

Hungary and Poland take the same view on the enlargement and reform of the Schengen system, the press conference was told.

Eniko Gyori emphasised that the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the zone without internal border control, will remain important for Hungary as a Member State after its term of Presidency. According to Ms Gyori, “Chances are that on 9 June, the Council will unanimously approve the level of technical preparation of both countries. We aim to adopt a unanimous declaration during the Hungarian Presidency,” she said. Ms Gyori stressed that the Hungarian Presidency had often mediated for the Romanian and Bulgarian accession. “We did our best to improve the situation, and it has become better. Chances are, a political decision will be made shortly,” she added.

Mr Dowgielewicz declared that, “Romania and Bulgaria are technically prepared” for their Schengen membership. The Polish Secretary of State regarded reservations over Romania’s and Bulgaria’s membership as populism, which he thinks mainly emerges in some North European countries. “There is no reason why Romania or Bulgaria should pay for the erroneous asylum policy of North European countries,” he said.

On the reform of the Schengen system, Ms Gyori said, “It is a great success to have made the Council declare that the freedom of unobstructed movement without internal borders is a great achievement, and it must be preserved.”

Mr Dowgielewicz made a similar statement, “Our philosophy is that every reform must strengthen, and not weaken, the Schengen freedom of movement. I do not suppose that Europe will return to (internal) border control; that is out of the question,” the Polish Secretary of State added.