Minister: PM Orbán will be a ‘fair mediator’ during Hungary’s EU presidency

Hungary will take over the EU presidency, and the task of ensuring that the European Union remains operational and capable of reacting to crises, at an extremely vulnerable time politically as well as in matters of security, János Boka, the minister for EU affairs, told a discussion with members of the press on Friday.

Hungary will fulfill the coordinating, representational and communication tasks entailed in the EU presidency after a European parliamentary election expected to bring “a full institutional reshuffle”, while stability will be fully in the hands of the European Council and the rotating presidency, Boka said.

The Ukraine-Russia war will continue to pose a security and political challenge and the situation in the Middle East will remain “fragile”, along with possible crises in mulptiple hotbeds of conflict in the far East and the Caucasus, he said.

Hungary will strive to ensure a smooth transition and to make sure the presidency is seen as a “neutral, fair mediator”, Boka said. It will also work to steer EU negotiations regarding the next five years in sectors the government sees as particularly important, such as competitiveness, security and defence, the common agricultural policy and demography, he said. Other focus points will include migration and cohesion policy, he added.