Commenting on his interview to Phileleftheros, a Cyprus newspaper, János Bóka noted that his visit to Cyprus was part of a tour of EU member states with a view to readying Hungary for the presidency. The trio presidency programme worked out with Spain and Belgium, endorsed by the EU Council, will focus on the bloc’s economic competitiveness, its demographic challenges, and migration, he said. Also, priority tasks will include a medium-term review of the cohesion policy, bolstering European security and defence policy based on Europe’s defence industry, and adopting next year’s EU budget, he said.
Bóka insisted that the EU had seemed to have lost its influence globally, and in the Middle East in particular, adding that the EU must be made capable of independently assessing its strategic interests and finding means to enforce these. He called the EU a “platform of cooperation” between strong member states, and he said “a change in attitude” which may be ushered in after the EP elections.