Visegrád Four

Orbán cabinet: Weber, Timmermans not up to Hungarians’ expectations

v4 PELLEGRINI, Peter; ORBÁN Viktor; MORAWIECKI, Mateusz; BABIS, Andrej

The government does not support either Manfred Weber or Frans Timmermans, the lead candidates of the European People’s Party (EPP) and the European Socialists, to fill top EU positions because these two politicians do not meet the expectations of the Hungarian people, the foreign minister told public Kossuth radio on Sunday.

Hungary will only support candidates who have respect toward European nations, take up the cause of protecting Christian culture and stand for stopping migration rather than supporting it, Péter Szijjártó told a morning programme.

Central Europe has become Europe’s engine of growth with its national economies growing at a rate twice higher than that of the bloc’s average, he said.

“And behind the economic and security policy decisions of these countries there is rationale,” Szijjártó said.

All this gives Hungary a mandate to support the position that out of the top four EU positions, one at least should be filled by a leading politician representing central Europe, he added.

Hungary already called into question the spitzenkandidat system when it was introduced, Szijjártó said, adding that “now many in the EU are of the opinion that it should be scrapped altogether”.

“The Visegrad Four [the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia] have found several allies on the matter,” the minister said, calling the grouping “the strongest and most effective cooperation within the EU”.

In connection with Hungary’s recent veto of the European Union climate protection targets, Szijjártó said their implementation would pose serious risks and carry considerable costs to Europe’s economy.

Hungary does not support the climate goals also because it would result in a 30-40 percent increase in domestic household utility bills, he said.

Visegrad Group country citizens back neither Weber nor Timmermans – Survey

Czech-Hungary defence ministers in cooperation talks

hungary czech republic defence

The defence ministers of Hungary and the Czech Republic met in Budapest on Friday to discuss cooperation between the two countries’ armed forces.

Tibor Benkő said military capability development and the general security environment were also topics of discussion. The need for security in Europe is intensifying, and Visegrád Group cooperation would address one aspect of this need, he added.

They agreed that both countries have the same views on how changes have taken place in Europe in respect of challenges, risks and threats, as well as the general public’s sense of security.

The officials discussed two threats — originating from the East and South — identified by NATO. Hungary wants central Europe to put a greater premium on security, Benkő said.

He said talks also covered two Hungarian components, namely the Central European Division and the regional special operations forces.

Benkő said the two countries see eye to eye when it comes to development of their armed forces and agree on which areas of forces development needed to be focused on.

He noted Hungary has purchased licences from the Czech Republic to assemble weapons as well as training equipment.

In addition, the ministers agreed on joint training and exercises. They discussed Hungary’s Copsec 2019 exercises, focusing on the protection of external borders, which 15 countries have indicated they will join.

Lubomir Metnar said cooperation on security was of vital importance given the security situation in the region. He emphasised the importance of cooperation between NATO, the European Union and the Visegrád Group countries, adding that one of the best aspects of V4 cooperation was the V4-EU battle group.

He said Hungary had similar thinking regarding V4 cooperation and EU structured defense cooperation within PESCO, the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation.

The ministers also discussed the issue of illegal migration. Metnar said it was crucial to train local forces in countries of origin to prevent masses of migrants from embarking on outward journeys.

He said although the Balkan route had been shut down, an increase in the number of migrants was still a source of potential pressure on the route. In this context, he thanked Hungary for organising COPSEC 2019.

In reply to a question, Metnar said he would initiate talks on regional security policy challenges under the Czech V4 presidency. He said more opportunities should be created for joint tactical cooperation and V4 collaboration should extend to Germany, France and the UK.

Hungary to set up port, logistics base in Trieste

trieste port bay

Hungary will set up a port and a logistics base in Trieste with a view to facilitating and speeding up the shipping of Hungarian goods overseas, the foreign affairs and trade minister said on Friday.

The 60-100 million euro investment, to be carried out on a 32-hectare plot, will allow Hungarian companies to ship their goods out to sea within 24 hours, Péter Szijjártó said at the opening ceremony of the V4+ Logistics Forum in Mogyoród, near Budapest.

The land purchase agreement is expected to be signed in early July, he said.

On another subject, Szijjártó said that in light of the ever stronger economic cooperation between Hungary and Poland, Polish state carrier LOT has chosen Budapest as its second base of operations. The two countries are in the middle of finalising a deal that will see LOT launch a direct flight between Budapest and Seoul, he added.

Meanwhile, the minister said Hungary would have to reduce the gap in infrastructure with western Europe in order to improve its logistical competitiveness. To do this, he said, Hungary must develop its north-south infrastructure corridor, increase its number of border crossing roads and railways, address the absence of a high-speed rail line in central Europe and make use of China’s goals with the Eurasian trade area.

Concerning the necessary infrastructure developments, Szijjártó noted that the Hungarian government will carry out an upgrade of Hungary’s entire public road and railway network by 2024.

The state will spend 3,200 billion forints (EUR 9.9bn) on the road upgrades and 1,500 billion on the railway upgrades between now and 2022, he added.

As regards the north-south infrastructural developments, he said Hungary will complete its own 229-kilometre section of the planned Via Carpathia transnational highway network stretching from Lithuania to Greece by 2022.

On the topic of border crossings, Szijjártó said construction of a new bridge over the River Danube connecting Komarom and Komarno and a motorway connecting Budapest and Bratislava will be completed by the end of next year. Construction on a new bridge across the River Ipoly between Dregelypalank in Hungary and Ipelske Predmostie (Ipolyhidveg) in Slovakia will begin later this year, he added.

Turning to the economic opportunities before Eurasia, Szijjártó said the region must take advantage of China’s trade plan involving Europe and Asia and guarantee the fastest possible shipping routes from the Greek ports to western Europe.

The Hungarian government, therefore, places great emphasis on the upgrade of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, he said.

Ruling party: “EPP needs Fidesz’s help, not the other way round”

EU visegrád four

Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party believes it should only remain a member of the European People’s Party (EPP) as long as it can help the grouping, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday, adding that the European Parliament election results suggested that the EPP was is in need of help rather than Fidesz.

Gergely Gulyás told a regular press briefing in response to a question that Fidesz would be happy to share its experiences with the EPP so that it could become a political family capable of preserving its own values and have a clear vision of the future, he added.

Decisions affecting the European Union’s strategy for the next five years and officials must serve the purpose of making the bloc successful, he said.

As regards strategy, Hungary has made its position clear that member states should be given enough freedom to formulate their own national economic policy, Gulyás said.

The EU must also declare that there is a dominant culture, which is the Christian one, he said, adding that the EU should protect persecuted Christian communities.

Concerning the upcoming election of senior EU officials, Gulyás said the Visegrád Group countries have coordinated their positions ahead of the EU summit starting in Brussels on Thursday.

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia support neither the spitzenkandidat system nor the election of Manfred Weber as European Commission president, he said.

Gulyas said it would be wrong to let the European parliamentary groups choose the next EC president, arguing that the spitzenkandidat system went against the Lisbon Treaty and EU law.

He noted that Weber “has made clear that he does not want the support of the party that was given the biggest mandate by Hungarians” in the EP election. Gulyás said the EU needed leaders “who haven’t attacked any of the member states in recent years”.

Gulyás said the V4 had not agreed on a joint candidate to support but there were several whom they would accept.

In response to a question, he said Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, was one of the candidates the V4 would find acceptable.

Gulyás said the V4 would also form a common stance on the EU’s climate strategy for the Brussels summit. He said the goals of the Paris climate accords could not be met without nuclear power.

On another subject, Gulyás said it was key for the EU to open accession talks with the Western Balkan countries within the next five-year cycle. Several of those countries have “done a lot” to advance accession talks “but it looks like the EU is not ready to add new members”, he said.

As regards the case of former Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski, who has been granted asylum in Hungary, Gulyás said the Hungarian government had not entered into any contractual relationship with him. Gruevski receives the same amount of help as anyone else given refugee status, Gulyás said. The PM’s Office chief said he had no knowledge of any changes to Gruevski’s refugee status, adding that the decision on whether or not to extradite him will be made by the courts.

Concerning domestic affairs, Gulyás said the slowing European and global economy had not yet shown signs of affecting Hungary’s economy, adding that the government’s action plan was aimed at maintaining current growth or keeping it 2 percentage points above the EU average.

Answering a question about inflation, Gulyás said it may end up being higher than 2.7 percent targeted this year.

Meanwhile, Gulyás said that the finance and interior ministries were scheduled to move from central Pest to the Castle District on the Buda side at the end of the government cycle, in early 2022.

Concerning leaked footage of earlier talks concerning planned changes to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), Gulyás said the government and academny had been in agreement that the academy would not be stripped of its research institutes, but the MTA’s head had “breached that agreement”, therefore the government had reworded its draft of the MTA law.

Answering another question about a Brussels-Budapest Wizz Air flight cancelled on Wednesday, Gulyás said that consumer protection proceedings would follow and the government would “propose imposing the highest fine possible”.

Gulyás also said that MEP-elect László Trocsányi’s mandate as justice minister would terminate on June 30, and it was up to the prime minister to select his successor.

Visegrad Group country citizens back neither Weber nor Timmermans – Survey

EU flag

The majority of citizens of Visegrad Group (V4) countries support neither European Peoples Party lead candidate for the post of European Commission president Manfred Weber nor Socialist candidate Frans Timmermans, according to a Nézőpont poll released on Tuesday.

Fully 80 percent of Czechs, Poles, Hungarians and Slovakians back neither politician and 42 percent expressed a clear preference for the option of an alternative candidate.

Only 11 percent expressed a clear preference for Weber while 9 percent did the same for Timmermans.

Nézőpont said Visegrad Four leaders enjoyed a strong mandate in Brussels, based on the outcome of the EP election. Moreover, none of them were bound to any of the top candidates, it added.

Nézőpont’s survey was conducted between May 27 and June 7 in the Visegrad countries with a total sample of 2,000 people, 500 from each country.

As we wrote on May, Orbán cabinet is not backing either the European People’s Party’s Manfred Weber or the Social Democrats’ Frans Timmermans for the role of European Commission president, read more HERE.

V4 premiers agree to present united front at EU summit

visegrad group four v4

The prime ministers of the Visegrad Group agreed at an informal meeting in Budapest to present a united front on matters of European Union leadership positions and policy at next week’s EU summit, the Hungarian PM’s press chief said on Thursday.

At the meeting held at the Castle District premises of the Prime Minister’s Office, the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia discussed the future of Europe, the election of new EU leaders and the Czech Republic’s upcoming V4 presidency.

The V4 premiers were in agreement that the grouping plays a crucial role in shaping the future of the continent,

Havasi said. As they are aware of the responsibility they carry, the Visegrad Four leaders are playing an active role in the debates on the future of the EU, including personnel issues, he added.

The V4 want the bloc’s leaders to be fit and experienced enough for their role and to have respect for the people of central Europe and the Visegrad cooperation.

The grouping expects the EU’s leaders to always consider the interests of central Europe when making joint decisions about the bloc, Havasi said.

He said Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis briefed his counterparts on the main objectives of his country’s upcoming V4 presidency.

Bullet train coming between Budapest and Warsaw!

Hungarian minsiter attends meeting of V4, CEDC defence ministers

hungarian defence forces

Defence Minister Tibor Benkő attended a meeting of his Visegrád Group (V4) counterparts as part of Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) in Piestany (Postyen) on Monday.

According to a Hungarian defence ministry statement, Benkő thanked Slovakia, the V4’s current presidency holder, for its work in the past year and said the group was carrying out important work for European security and stability.

The closing statement said that NATO should focus on challenges not only from the east but from the south as well.

Hungary strives to be a key partner in the CEDC, Benkő said, noting a migration crisis management exercise to be held in Hungary in October dubbed Cooperative Security 19. He said 15 countries will send observers to the exercise in which military and police forces will practice coordinated crisis situation manoeuvres.

The ministers discussed security and stability issues in the Western Balkans, which are of strategic importance for central Europe and Hungary, Benkő said, adding that handling those issues would be high on the group’s agenda.

Bullet train coming between Budapest and Warsaw!

trains high speed

As communicated by magyarepitok.hu, more and more news is being revealed on the high-speed railway that is being planned to run between Budapest and Warsaw.

The 700-900km long line will act as a vital artery connecting the countries of the Visegrád Group (V4), which includes Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. The trains on the line will be able to reach speeds of up to 250-350 km/h.

The latest announcement confirmed the names of the companies that will conduct the study to investigate the feasibility of the project. The licence was awarded to a consortium comprising of Utiber Kft, Főmterv Kft and Trenecon Zrt. The survey will cost €3.5 million to conduct.

According to the plans, the railway line will cross both the Danube and the Odera, and numerous bridges, tunnels and other infrastructural structures will be constructed.  It is hoped that it will connect a minimum of four railway systems that serve settlements with 250,000 residents or more. Around half a million passengers will use the system annually according to estimates.

Regarding the project, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said: “There is minimal infrastructure running North-South in Central Europe, and there are not enough border crossings”.

He went on to explain that this railway line hopes to address this issue and is just one project that will connect the different countries of Europe via Hungary.

Indeed, the Hungarian government has been actively planning high-speed railway lines that will connect Hungary to other parts of Europe.  Last month we communicated that the contract to build the Budapest-Belgrade railway line has been signed. While the project has been caught up in controversy due to accusations of corruption, it is expected to increase the movement of goods and people between Hungary and the Balkans.

As reported by romania-insider.com, a feasibility study is already being conducted for a high-speed railway line between Budapest and Kolozsvár/Cluj-Napoca. It is hoped that the trains on this line will reach speeds of up to 160km/h and it will improve railway infrastructure between Hungary and Eastern Europe.

These infrastructural developments are making Hungary more accessible. They will not only connect Hungarians to other parts of the continent, but it will encourage tourists to visit the country from across Europe in an environmentally friendly manner.

Interested in trains? There is a railway-themed restaurant at Keleti Station!

Eurasian free trade area in Hungary, Europe’s interest, says foreign minister in Slovakia

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Revisiting the concept of a Eurasian free trade area is in the interests of Hungary and Europe as a whole, the foreign minister said in Bratislava (Pozsony) on Monday.

Péter Szijjártó participated in a meeting focusing on trade, energy affairs and security issues attended by the foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group, the Eastern Partnership countries and Romania, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency.

Szijjártó said it was “clearly in Europe’s interest” to develop close cooperation with the most important global economic players, adding this meant that the continent should revisit the idea of establishing a Eurasian free trade area which would also serve Hungary’s economic interests.

Hungary has annual trade turnover of 1,300 billion forints (EUR 4bn) with the six countries of the Eastern Partnership, Szijjártó said, adding that the fewer bureaucratic obstacles they faced the better.

He said the concept of a European free trade area had emerged years ago, adding that “with China’s Belt and Road initiative setting the pace of changes in the global economy” it was time for the idea to be put back on to the agenda.

On the subject of the Belt and Road initiative, Szijjártó said it would bring with it fundamental infrastructural developments aimed at tightening economic cooperation.

“Overall, both free trade and tightening Eurasian economic cooperation are in our interest,” the minister said.

Of the Eastern Partnership countries, Hungary is in the middle of implementing free trade agreements with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia and has proposed signing trade deals with Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan as well, he said.

The meeting also covered energy cooperation. On this subject, Szijjártó said it was in Hungary’s interest for Azerbaijan to deliver enough gas to southeastern Europe via the southern gas corridor so that it also reaches central Europe.

“We’re considering multiple scenarios when it comes to the diversification of Hungary’s gas supplies, but unfortunately one solution is taking even longer than the other,” Szijjártó said. “So it is important to keep [the option of importing] Azeri gas among the possible scenarios.”

He urged the EU to provide every means of support for the development of the southern gas corridor.

United Nations ‘promoting’ migration, terrorism, says Hungarian foreign minister

CAVUSOGLU, v4

The United Nations “encourages terrorism and promotes migration” through its “very dangerous” policies, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told a press conference in Bratislava(Pozsony) on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of foreign ministers of the Visegrad Four and of Turkey, Szijjártó said that a UN commissioner for human rights is planning to launch a procedure against Hungary in connection with a Syrian national sentenced in Hungary on terrorism charges.

The United Nations “should fight terrorism and terrorists, but the organisation is doing just the opposite thus encouraging terrorists,” Szijjarto said. “It is shocking that the UN has sided with terrorists and finds excuses for them,” he said. The UN “encourages the two most dangerous trends in the world: migration and terrorism, tendencies that reinforce each other,” Szijjártó added.

Szijjártó insisted that terrorism was on the increase and insisted that “the UN cannot be relied on”. Turkey, however, has a crucial role in managing the pressure of migration, he said, adding that migration was expected to increase, too, since “at least 35 million migrants in Europe’s neighbourhood are ready to set off”.

Answering a question about Turkey’s European integration, Szijjártó criticised “some countries” for being “hypocritical” and presenting different positions in public and when “being among themselves”. He urged that the EU should build a strategic partnership with Turkey and stop “playing such an unfair game”.

Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak said that the talks focused on the Middle East with special regard to Syria, Iran, migration, and the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

He called Turkey an important partner in terms of security, and thanked Turkey for observing its agreement with the EU on migration. Turkey’s EU accession is being blocked for political reasons, but the integration talks should not be dropped, he added.

v4 turkey
Photo: MTI

Answering a question about Turkey’s integration, Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said that “the entry criteria must be met”.

Marcin Przydacz, Poland’s deputy state secretary for foreign affairs, said that issues in the Middle East or the Mediterranean “cannot be discussed without Turkey”.

Concerning Turkey’s EU integration, he said that “after Brexit we should demonstrate that apart from quitting, joining is possible, too”.

Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, said that “Turkey has wished to join the EU for over 60 years and it has never said anything else than that it is working to meet the criteria”.

He said he was aware that the entry process was blocked for political reasons but added that “if the EU does not want us, it has to make a decision”.

Visegrád Group x France: Hungary aims to revive EU’s competitiveness and security

visegrád four france

The foreign ministers of the Visegrád Group including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, on Thursday met with the French foreign minister in Bratislava to discuss issues regarding the future, security and competitiveness of the European Union.

At a joint press conference with his counterparts after the event, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said the most important objectives for Hungary regarding the future of the EU are reviving the bloc’s competitiveness and security.

“We, central Europeans, have done extremely well in these aspects… so we are justified in making propositions,” Szijjártó said. Growth in central European countries has outstripped the EU average and its policies focusing on citizens’ security have succeeded in stemming the inflow of migrants, he said.

The bloc’s competitiveness can only be maintained through a robust inner competition, Szijjártó said.

Large countries should therefore refrain from passing regulations curbing the competitiveness of central and eastern European members, he added.

One such regulation would be tax harmonisation, which would lead to steep tax hikes in those countries, he said. Thanks to their strong financial and budgetary discipline, CEE countries can afford lower taxes, he said.

It is “unacceptable” that France should aim to “pass on” the effects of its “irresponsible tax policies” to Europe, he said.

Regarding security in Europe, Szijjártó said “it was high time” that the EU stopped “organising migration” and set about stopping it. Stopping migration is especially important now that the terrorist organisation Islamic State has been defeated and “thousands of mercenary terrorists are making their way back to Europe”, while tens of thousands of migrants are stranded in the Western Balkans, waiting for access to the EU, he said.

Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said the only solution to security challenges is a common defence policy. The bloc’s modernisation should be done in accordance with the will of its citizens, he said. He noted differences in the stances of the Visegrád Group and France regarding the EU’s enlargement.

Tomas Petricek, the Czech foreign minister, said that next to facing the challenges of migration and terrorism, the EU should also focus on the economic convergence of disadvantaged areas.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian called the talks between France and the Visegrád Group “fruitful” and pledged to continue them in the future.

Featured image: MTI

Hungarian foreign minister: NATO most successful military alliance in history

nato otan logo

NATO is the most successful military alliance in human history, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said at a roundtable discussion he attended with his Polish and Czech counterparts, Tomas Petricek and Jacek Czaputowicz, on Thursday evening in Washington, DC.

At a conference held in celebration on NATO’s 70th anniversary, Szijjártó noted that the 20th anniversary of Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic’s accession to the alliance is also being celebrated this year.

“Only those who have experienced Communism can grasp the significance of this membership,” he said.

Hungary has embarked on a comprehensive modernisation of its armed forces and has raised the number of its troops in NATO missions in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, the minister said.

Szijjártó noted migration pressure on Europe and its dangers to European security, saying NATO should make Africa one of its focal points.

Czaputowicz focused on the challenge Russia poses to NATO, saying the Polish government welcomed the stronger US military presence in the country.

Szijjártó said the US had changed its policy towards central Europe root and branch, and Hungary welcomed this turnabout. “Instead of intervening [in domestic affairs], we see American policies based on mutual respect,” he added.

He also commented on Ukraine, referring to the situation of the Hungarian minority living there and restrictions to their rights, saying this reflected Ukraine’s failure to observe NATO values.

71 percent views NATO membership favourably in V4, 67 percent in Hungary – Survey

Pápa, Hungary

NATO membership is viewed favourably by 71 percent of all respondents in the Visegrad Four grouping and by 67 percent in Hungary within the group, according to a survey conducted in 12 countries and regions in central Europe by the Nézőpont Research Institute.

The pollster asked 1,000 voting-age adults in NATO-member Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, in Germany’s Bavaria and former eastern German regions, as well as in Austria and Serbia outside the bloc, respectively, between February 1 and 27.

It marks the 70th anniversary of NATO and the 20th anniversary of the accession of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

Fully 64 percent of respondents in the entire region surveyed expressed a highly favourable view on their country’s or region’s NATO membership whereas only 26 percent said the opposite. Translated into figures it means that 71 million out of the region’s 100 million residents supported membership in NATO, Nézőpont said.

The survey shows the highest support (89 percent) for NATO membership in Poland and the lowest (52 percent) in Slovakia within the Visegrad Group they form with the Czech Republic and Hungary.

NATO membership was deemed desirable by only 19 percent of respondents in Austria and by 17 percent in Serbia, the survey released to MTI on Wednesday shows.

HUNGARY STARTED THE BIGGEST ARMAMENT FOR HUNGARIAN DEFENCE FORCES – PHOTOS & VIDEO

Foreign minister Szijjártó slams ‘Brussels’ over migration policy

SZIJJÁRTÓ Péter; LINKEVICIUS, Linas Antanas

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, speaking at a meeting of the Visegrad countries and eight Nordic-Baltic states in Lithuania on Monday, said: “Brussels favours migration and the European Commission has started communicating the positive effects of legal migration.”

“This takes us back to last year’s dispute [in the UN] over the global migration compact, which was exclusively about how to legalise illegal migration,” Szijjarto told a press conference. The European Commission “keeps trying to pull the wool over the eyes of governments” and wants to make the public believe that “there is no migration crisis and that migration is good”, he added.

Szijjártó said there was general agreement at the V4-Baltics meeting that migration had carved out the deepest dividing lines in the history of the European Union so far.

The European Parliament election will resolve the question of what direction the EU will head in, he added.

Hungary is concerned that infrastructure along Europe’s southern borders has not been developed “since the start of a tranquil period facilitated by the agreement between the EU and Turkey”, Szijjártó said, adding that the past three-and-a-half years should have been used to complete infrastructure to protect those borders.

He said that due to migration, the terrorist threat in Europe “has become unprecedented in recent decades and security challenges have amassed.”

Szijjártó said that whereas the commission insisted the migration crisis was over, the number of migrants crossing into Turkey had increased by 50 percent last year, and their total number in Turkey has reached 4 million. Around 70,000 illegal migrants have been apprehended in the western Balkans and “another migration wave similar to that of four years ago must be prevented,” he said.

He called for aid to support development projects in Africa so that the continent can hold back a potential migration wave.

Hungary, the minister said, is concerned that the EU is handling Africa with the wrong approach.

“The continent is presented as a group of countries that definitely want to send their citizens to Europe, but when we talk to our colleagues there, they say they want to keep these people and they ask for help. They don’t want them sent to Europe.”

Szijjártó voiced concern about a yet unpublished commission document that suggests that “they seek to make the global migration pact legally binding for all EU members, including those who did not vote for it”. The commission’s response to questions concerning the document are not “reassuring”, he added.

He said that whereas in the debate, the compact was sold as non-binding, work was already under way to find European legal ways to implement it.

Meanwhile, Szijjártó commented on how US President Donald Trump was perceived in Europe, saying every one of his measures had been greeted with “hysteria and attacks” in the media.

On the topic of cooperation with China, Szijjártó talked of “double standards” and “hypocrisy” in the EU, adding that warnings against trading with China came hand in hand with four major countries — Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy — conducting almost half of their trade with the Asian country.

V4, Benelux parliament speakers meet in Slovakia

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Europe can only preserve its role and weight in the world if cooperation within the European Union is made more effective in the future, Speaker of Parliament László Kövér said after meeting his Visegrad Group and Benelux colleagues in Piestany (Pöstyén), in western Slovakia, on Monday.

Addressing a joint press conference with his colleagues, Kövér said the EU faced a number of obstacles to improving the effectiveness of cooperation among its member states, adding that there were also many disagreements on how to resolve this challenge.

He said one possible solution was for EU institutions to “take a more modest approach” to their dealings with member states.

“Member states should be left to resolve the problems that they have the competencies to address,” Kövér said.

The EU should only work on coming up with joint solutions to problems that actually concern pan-European interests, he added.

Kövér said the speakers were in agreement that member states would only overcome the obstacles to compromise through dialogue. This way, member states can identify the issues on which they are unlikely to reach an agreement. The speakers also agreed that regional cooperation improves, rather than hinders, the effectiveness of the EU’s operations.

Slovak House Speaker Andrej Danko said

the EU should not be “scared of the V4”, as the grouping was only looking to implement reforms in the bloc.

Czech Parliamentary Speaker Radek Vondracek said the meeting was another testament to the strength and raison d’etre of the V4.

Marek Kuchcinski, speaker of the Polish Sejm, said the forthcoming European parliamentary elections would be a new start for the EU. He said the bloc must find a solution to the “crisis of its civilizational values”, adding that the goal was to keep the EU strong.

Speaker of the Belgian federal parliament Siegfried Bracke called the meeting “enlightening”.

Gusty Graas, speaker of the Benelux parliament, said the stronger the EU was, the stronger its member states could be, adding that this was the reason why a strong European institutional system was needed.

Defence minister Benkő meets Polish counterpart in Budapest

BENKÕ Tibor poland hungary defence ministers

Defence Minister Tibor Benkő met Mariusz Blaszczak, his Polish counterpart, for talks on bilateral defence cooperation in Budapest on Tuesday.

At a press conference after the talks, the two parties highlighted similar positions on a number of topics including NATO, the Visegrad cooperation, as well as bilateral military ties. They also exchanged experiences regarding voluntary territorial reserves.

Parties at the talks signed a document under which Poland joined NATO’s health excellence centre headquartered in Budapest.

“It’s good that we see the tasks facing us in the same way to such an extent,” Benkő said.

Poland, he said, had fully shared Hungary’s view of illegal migration as early as 2015 and he thanked Poland for providing swift assistance to Hungary.

He also praised the V4 battle group which will perform its tasks together with Croatia in the second half of the year. Both agreed on the need to restart the battle group’s operations in 2023.

In the context of NATO, they were in agreement that threats from the east and south were special challenges for both countries.

Benkő expressed gratitude that the soldiers of the two countries would serve together in the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon. Hungary will join the task force in the second half of the year and will expand its number of units from next year.

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He noted that Poland and Hungary share NATO tasks, including protecting the Baltic airspace. Poland is currently on active duty and Hungary will take over afterwards, he noted.

Benkő referred to Poland’s voluntary reserves, saying both countries attached great importance to them.

“Based on Poland’s experiences, I’d like to develop Hungary’s voluntary territorial reserves. By 2026, we want a headcount of 20,000.”

NEW HELICOPTER SIMULATOR WAS INAUGURATED IN HUNGARY – PHOTOS 

Visegrad Group sign tourism cooperation pact

visegrad group four v4

The Visegrad Group countries signed a tourism cooperation protocol in northern Slovakia on Wednesday.

The protocol aims to boost the effectiveness of the tourism marketing strategies of the four countries both via joint projects and by taking advantage of their individual opportunities and experiences.

Addressing a joint press conference with his V4 counterparts after the signing ceremony, Zoltán Kovács, the state secretary for international communications and relations, highlighted the growing importance of Visegrad Four cooperation. When it comes to tourism, Hungary is trying to set a good example, he said, pointing out that over the past eight years, the number of tourists visiting Hungary has risen by 50 percent.

Tourism accounts for 10.7 percent of Hungary’s GDP, Kovács said, adding that the government’s goal is to increase that share to 16 percent by 2030.

In recent years, the government has spent some 800 billion forints (EUR 2.5bn) on the sector, with some 1,000 tourism projects set to be carried out again this year, the state secretary said.

The signing of the agreement wrapped up a two-day meeting of the V4 countries in Strbske Pleso (Csorbató).

The meeting focused on the situation of the tourism industry in the four countries, its sustainability as well as opportunities for cooperation in the sector.

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NATO’s reputation increasing, says PM Orbán in Poland

Orbán army NATO

NATO is being increasingly appreciated in light of Europe’s “fragile security”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told a celebration marking the anniversaries of the Visegrad Four countries’ joining that organisation, in Wesola, near Warsaw, on Sunday.

Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic joined NATO 20 years ago, on March 12, 1999, while Slovakia followed suit five years later.

Concerning Hungary’s participation in NATO missions, Orbán said that aid should be provided where it is needed; “unless we deliver that aid in time, the problems will come to our place”.

In his address, Orbán thanked the other Visegrad countries for helping to protect Hungary’s southern borders from illegal migrants.

Orbán noted that NATO had been created to promote peace, security, stability and prosperity all over the world and said that those goals are still valid. He added that currently 692 Hungarian troops are serving in NATO missions across the world, a number soon to be increased by 130.

Concerning the Hungarian military, Orbán said that

it needs to be developed “so that it can protect Hungary and do well in NATO, too”.

Later on Sunday Orbán decorated Kornel Morawiecki, member of the Polish parliament’s upper house, and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s father, with the Order of Merit of Hungary, Middle Cross. Morawiecki was decorated for his solidarity to Hungary and his work to strengthen the two countries’ ties.

visegrad four group NATO
Photo: MTI

In his laudation, Orbán said that the “radicalism of Morawiecki and his organisation (Fighting Solidarity)” was an example for him and other young Hungarians in setting the tone of their movements working on the fall of communism in the 1980s. They decided to “be as radical as Morawiecki and his group were because … you have to go all the way to get to the wall you want to break through,” he said.