Poland and Hungary want a strong Europe, says Hungarian FM

Poland and Hungary want a strong Europe that is able to protect its borders and the security of its citizens, Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, said on Thursday after talks in Warsaw with Jacek Czaputowicz, his Polish counterpart.

At a joint press conference, Szijjártó said both countries want a strong Europe. “But it is also clear that a strong Europe must be based on strong member states and strong regions.”

“This is why central Europe, based on a strong Poland and Hungary, is in Europe’s interest,” he added.

Czaputowicz said the Visegrad Group of countries shared a similar European vision: a competitive, non-protectionist, democratic European Union whose legitimacy stemmed from national parliaments. He said Poland and Hungary had similar positions concerning topical EU issues such as the community’s 2021-2027 budget. The two countries will work to maintain the EU’s cohesion funding mechanism and the common agricultural policy, he said.