János Bóka, the minister for European Union affairs, has said the government has made clear to the European Commission that it remains committed to negotiations both on a political and technical level. Hungary has made specific proposals on the structure and topic of the talks with a view to speeding up the outcome, and these were well received, he told HírTV in an interview on Thursday evening. The minister said that Hungary had already met all previous conditions for unblocking its EU funding but was pursuing further talks in view of the EU’s “unprecedented geopolitical and economic challenges”. It is vitally important, he said, to send a message to all member states and the world that “the European Union is united”. He said Hungary was pursuing the talks constructively “and in the spirit of loyal cooperation” in the expectation that it would be similarly treated by the European institutions and other member states. Some, he added, sought to strengthen EU unity by abolishing the right of veto, but this would be a mistake. Noting that Hungary is holding the Council presidency in the second half of 2024, he said no one should be unclear about the intent with which the country is going about its preparations. Bóka said conflicts of interest and asset declarations were issues that must be resolved as there were big differences in regulations between the various European institutions, and at the level of individual member states, none were as detailed or transparent as the standards that European institutions demanded of them.
Under the coming trio presidency, the study of demographic challenges is on the agenda at Hungary’s initiative, he said, adding that the other priorities of Hungary’s presidency were subject to consultations with all member states.