Szabolcs Takács, State Secretary for EU Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office received the State Secretary for EU affairs of Slovakia which will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union as of 1 July.
At the meeting the parties spoke about the preparations for Slovakia’s Presidency due to begin in the second half of 2016, the issues that are expected to feature on the Presidency’s agenda and topical EU affairs. The partners further consulted with respect to bilateral and V4 cooperation opportunities.
Ivan Korcok established at the meeting: relations between Slovakia and Hungary have improved in every field in recent years, and are exceptionally positive, which is important to stress even if we tend to take this for granted between close partners such as Slovakia and Hungary. The parties also talked about migration and the future of the Visegrád cooperation, agreeing that the European Commission’s proposal made yesterday with respect to the reform of the Dublin regime is unacceptable for both countries in its present form, with special regard to the proposition relating to the so-called „solidarity contribution” payable in the event of opting out of the fairness mechanism.
The Commission’s proposal does not cover every aspect, and is not concerned with the mechanism for repatriating migrants who are not eligible for protection, for instance. At the end of the talks, Mr Takács referred to the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Schengen 2.0 action plan which is suitable for comprehensively settling the entire range of issues. The Hungarian EU Affairs State Secretary stressed: Hungary refuses all forms of forced resettlement and monetary fines.
The Parties also consulted with respect to the referendum to be held in June regarding the United Kingdom’s EU membership, agreeing that both countries have a vested political and economic interest in London staying within the European Union. They both particularly highlighted that in the present critical times the Visegrád countries represent an added value on issues concerning the European Union which contributes to every facet of the development of the continent, and as one of Europe’s principal economic engines, it casts a positive light on the role of the region. The partners agreed that the Visegrád countries must take a proactive stance within the EU on issues which convey an added value, by engaging in an open dialogue also with countries which hold radically different views on certain questions.
The Slovak State Secretary indicated that, due to the EU referendum to be held in Britain on 23 June, they have deferred the finalisation of the programme of the Slovak Presidency until the end of June. In addition to the management of the post-referendum situation, the priorities of the Presidency include migration, the fight against terrorism, the digital single market, the Energy Union, and the EU integration of the countries of the Western Balkans. The review of the Multiannual Financial Framework for the period between 2014-2020 is due during Slovakia’s Presidency, as is the budget for 2017 which will foreseeably involve tough negotiations. Mr Takács reassured of the Slovak EU Presidency of his support.