Strategic Decisions Should Be Made in the European Council, Says EU Affairs Minister

The timing of Sweden’s ratification of NATO membership depends on how quickly and effectively confidence-building between Hungary and Sweden progresses, EU Affairs Minister János Bóka told Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat.

In his social media post, János Bóka, quoting the main statements from the interview, said that the timing of the ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership depends on how quickly and effectively confidence-building between Hungary and Sweden proceeds. “The key is therefore the Hungarian-Swedish political dialogue,” he stressed.

In the interview, the minister also spoke about the war in Ukraine, citing in his post his idea that the uncertain situation in Ukraine makes it very difficult to plan three to four years ahead, and that Hungary’s view is that it would be more reassuring to expect shorter financial cycles.

It would also be fortunate if Ukraine were to be financed from outside the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

Hungary would also like to see how the financial assistance channeled to Ukraine has been used so far and with what results,” he said.

Bóka also stressed in the interview that the future European security architecture is not possible without Russia’s involvement. “I do not know when we can think of such negotiations or who would be involved in them. I hope that the European Union can play a decisive role in these talks when the time comes,” he noted.

He reiterated that there is active military fighting in the war in Ukraine on a daily basis, soldiers and civilians are dying every day, and the priority for the Hungarian government is to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible. “Only this would make it possible to find a lasting solution to this conflict in the negotiations,” he added, noting that “it is still a mystery how a lasting peace between the parties can be achieved,” but that hostilities do not lead to peace.

The EU Affairs Minister also told the Finnish newspaper that over the past 15 years, the EU has lost its global competitive edge in a number of areas, and that the EU must “reverse this trend and strengthen its economic competitiveness.”

Bóka also pointed out in the interview that the European Commission has become a political player in its own right.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referred to her commission as a geopolitical one. This means that the Commission is an institution within the European Union that has its own political agenda, that is not necessarily the same as the objectives of the Member States,”

he said.

In the interview, he had a fundamentally different understanding of “how the Commission as an institution should work and where these strategic political decisions about the European Union should be made: in the European Council.”

Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Orbán Viktor