Bóka: Hungarian presidency of the European Council has been a success

János Bóka, the EU affairs minister, said the Hungarian presidency of the European Council has been “distinctive, active and strategic, and an unquestionable success”.

Briefing parliament’s foreign affairs committee on the Hungarian EU presidency earlier,  Bóka praised the presidency as one that had fostered “concrete decisions” on competitiveness, the integration of the Western Balkans, and the enlargement of the Schengen Area.

So far, the presidency organized more than 1,000 meetings of working groups, 50 Coreper meetings, 13 informal Council meetings, and the largest diplomatic events of Hungarian history: a summit of the European Political Community and one of the European Council, he said.

The Hungarian presidency aimed to become a catalyst for change, and “Hungary will keep the hope for change alive after the presidency, too,” Bóka said.

“The European Union must change, but that won’t happen on its own; it requires work — in cooperation with European institutions if possible — but if not, then against them,” he said.