Hungary’s proposal is that instead of introducing wartime economics in the European Union, there should be a real competitiveness turnaround, which will not happen without reducing energy prices, said János Bóka, Minister for European Union Affairs, in Brussels on Tuesday.
Prior to the meeting of EU ministers responsible for EU affairs, the minister said that Ursula von der Leyen’s speech last week assessing the situation in the EU showed that the President of the European Commission was preparing for wartime economy.
“Von der Leyen delivered a war speech, the essence of which was that the European Union should become even more involved in the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict and that an even larger proportion of European taxpayers’ contributions should be channeled to Ukraine in some way. What was not clear from the speech was what the European institutions actually intend to do about the internal problems facing the European Union, such as lack of competitiveness, high energy prices, and housing difficulties,” he pointed out.
Hungary, unlike the President of the European Commission, believes that high energy prices are not caused by Russian oil and natural gas purchases, but by misguided EU policies, including sanctions, trade and industrial strategies, and the green transition.
Until there is a turnaround in these areas, energy prices will not fall,”
he said.
Regarding the EU Commission President’s announcement on housing subsidies, János Bóka pointed out that Hungary has launched a number of successful and effective programs over the past decade and a half, particularly to help young people access housing. These programs aim to help young people purchase their own property rather than rent, he explained.
“We expect the European Commission to support these Hungarian initiatives, or if it does not support them, at least not to hinder them, as has been the case so far during the EU semester,” he said.
Responding to a journalist’s question about Ukraine’s integration into the EU, János Bóka said that bypassing member states in the accession process is neither legally nor politically possible. This would be contrary to EU treaties, he said. Although member states may, on their own initiative, hold discussions with non-EU countries, this is not legally significant in this context, the minister responsible for European Union affairs added in his statement.
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Via MTI; Featured photo: European Council
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