The Prime Minister said that a peace agreement is needed which guarantees the security of Hungary, and through it, of Europeans.Continue reading
EU member states are far from consensus on support for Ukraine and the European security architecture. Moreover, this is not simply a matter of drafting, but of fundamental political differences that have not been bridged so far, the EU Affairs Minister said in Brussels on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference following a meeting of EU affairs ministers, János Bóka stressed that the leaders of the EU institutions should refrain from making grand political statements and setting target dates on Ukraine without the consensus support of European leaders or the backing of the European Council.
Hungary does not see Ukraine’s accession to the EU as a security guarantee issue. The enlargement process should be an objective and merit-based process. Ukraine is no exception in this respect,”
he stressed.
Mr Bóka said that ministers had prepared the extraordinary European Council meeting of EU leaders on March 6. It will focus on European defense and support for Ukraine, while the ordinary meeting on March 20-21 will discuss competitiveness, migration and the next seven-year EU budget. He said that the extraordinary session was a reaction to the direct talks between the US and Russia, while it was unclear whether and how Europe could participate. According to János Bóka, this extraordinary meeting is unlikely to fully settle this issue, but it will provide an opportunity for European leaders to exchange views.
On competitiveness, the Minister stressed that the Budapest declaration, adopted during the Hungarian EU presidency last year, states that heads of state and government will return to this issue regularly. He added that Hungary is waiting for the European Commission’s proposals on deregulation, simplification, energy price reductions and the Green Deal Industrial Plan, which will be published soon.
He also emphasized that
the issue of transparency in contracts between the European Commission and NGOs had been put on the agenda at the initiative of Hungary.
The Hungarian delegation expressed doubts about the transparency of current legislation and institutional practice and suggested two possible courses of action: the Council could request direct access to these contracts or the Commission could work with other institutions to provide greater insight.
In recent weeks, it has become clear that #NGO networks, previously financed by the #USAID and now by the @EU_Commission are engaging in activities aimed at undermining public trust in institutions and destabilizing political systems.
EU citizens and member states have… pic.twitter.com/Hi63LOQqpX
— Bóka János (@JanosBoka_HU) February 25, 2025
He explained that currently the basic details of the contracts – the contracting parties, the amount of the grant and the general objective – are available on the internet, but it is not clear exactly what activities the parties have committed themselves to. Individuals, member states and institutions can request access to these contracts, but the European Commission made it clear at Tuesday’s board meeting that it does not consider itself legally obliged to make them public in full.
“Hungary’s objective remains to achieve similar transparency in EU funding, in the same way that the United States has made public information on its support for NGOs,” Mr Bóka underlined.
Via MTI, Featured photo via MTI/Bodnár Boglárka
