At an expert-level forum held on Monday in Budapest, Minister of State for EU Affairs Szabolcs Takács at the Prime Minister’s Office said that Hungary wishes to see a satisfied and strong Great Britain within a renewed European Union; this would also benefit the Government of Hungary, he added.
At the forum jointly organised by the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the British Embassy Budapest with the aim of discussing issues related to Great Britain’s EU membership, the Minister of State emphasised that the country is an important partner of Hungary. The Government of Hungary agrees with the directions set by the British proposals to almost one hundred per cent. Furthermore, it appreciates the good will behind them to make the EU stronger and more competitive, he said.
According to the proposal of British Prime Minister David Cameron, the free movement of labour force within the European Union should be linked to the level of economic development of the Member States. Also, countries outside the eurozone should not be put at a disadvantagejust because they have not joined the monetary union. The British Prime Minister has recently given an outline of the reforms, which according to the British Government is the prerequisite of Britain staying within the EU.
Mr. Takács pointed out that Hungary has been open to cooperation from the beginning on, when Great Britain had made the first proposals because a strong Europe with a strong Great Britain is in Hungary’s best interest.
Mr. Takács explained that Hungary is also open to the amendment of the founding treaties of the EU, and will remain a constructive and pragmatic partner as long as there is no discrimination in the proposals. He was of the opinion that the balance between the four freedoms (free movement of goods, capital, people and services) on which the EU is based must be maintained. Another important factor is sustaining the results achieved so far, he added.
Mr. Takács said that an EU is needed, which is line with reality and with the expectations of its citizens. Should an amendment of the treaties be necessary for this then “why not?”.
The Minister of State also drew the attention to the fact that we must distinguish between migrants and immigrants coming from EU Members States, especially so in the field of communication.
Europe Director at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Vijay Rangarajan emphasised that the re-negotiation of an EU country’s membership, and a referendum on the issue might be a novelty in the EU, but Great Britain wishes to achieve reforms through this process that are beneficial to all the individual member states and the EU itself.
He said that a referendum was held on Great Britain’s EU membership forty years ago, and many things have changed since then. Being an EU Member State brings about a number of benefits, the most important being the single market. However, he also added that the EU is not perfect either; there are a number of obvious problems: for example with the euro, with certain regulations, and also with people’s perceptions of how much they can rely on the system giving appropriate answers to challenges.
He pointed out that the British Prime Minister has recently announced that he would like to discuss issues related to the eurozone and to enhancing competitiveness with the European Union. Mr. Rangarajan also noted that the reforms need support from other countries, including that of Hungaryas well.