PM Orbán says Europe’s competitiviness is in ‘serious decline’ – UPDATED

European competitiveness is in steep decline and will irreversibly fall behind that of the US and China unless the bloc is ready to take decisive action, PM Orbán said on Thursday, after talks with Luc Frieden, his Luxembourgian counterpart.

PM Orbán meets Luc Frieden

Orbán said he discussed with Frieden, who paid the visit to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the situation of the EU, including the Draghi Report reflecting on the bloc’s declining competitiveness.

“The situation is urgent,” Orbán said, adding that Hungary and Luxembourg both had a vested interest in boosting competitiveness.

At the talks, Orbán presented the current Hungarian EU presidency‘s draft competitiveness pact, to be discussed with all EU member states and presented for approval in November.

Orbán and Frieden agreed on the necessity of EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, and shared the position that a common EU Africa plan should be drafted.

Orbán said that unless the EU urgently prepared an Africa plan, the continent would only be a source of problems for the bloc, even though it could also be a source of economic advantage.

Hungary has chosen some African countries to which it can provide assistance through close bilateral cooperation “rather than waiting for the EU”, the prime minister noted.

He said Frieden agreed on the need for such individual attempts alongside a comprehensive African plan.

Frieden noted that in addition to the long-standing diplomatic relations between their two countries, Hungary also held the EU’s rotating presidency, adding that the need for continued dialogue was another reason for his visit to Budapest.