A core objective is to promote EU competitiveness and ensure enlargement remains substantive.Continue reading
At the Eurochambres meeting in Budapest, EU Affairs Minister János Bóka emphasized the importance of strengthening the European Union’s competitiveness through solutions rooted in Europe’s cultural, political, and historical traditions.
Minister Bóka stressed the need for Europe to remain competitive with global powers like the United States and China while preserving its core values. He noted,
European values must not be compromised if the aim is to be more competitive with the United States and China.”
The politician also highlighted the EU’s energy crisis, pointing out that European companies pay significantly more for electricity than their American or Chinese counterparts, and he warned that the green transition alone is insufficient to address Europe’s energy problems. Furthermore, he called attention to Europe’s demographic challenges and the inefficiency of EU legislation, referencing the 13,000 legislative acts adopted in the past five years.
The Hungarian EU Presidency has prioritized competitiveness issues, and Mr. Bóka outlined the goal of leading discussions on these topics during Hungary’s presidency.
It is an important task of the Hungarian Presidency to underline the main challenges for the competitiveness of the European Union, which will remain a priority for the EU for the next five years,” he said.
He also emphasized that while there is consensus on Europe’s economic symptoms, the causes and concrete actions needed remain unclear, and Hungary aims to guide these discussions.
In conclusion, János Bóka highlighted that the Hungarian EU Presidency will focus on steering the EU toward a new competitiveness agreement, with key discussions set to take place at an informal European Council meeting in Budapest in November.
Via MTI; Featured Image: X / Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2024