The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU explained in its Presidency programme that organising the European Political Community (EPC) summit will be a “priority” task. “The EPC will continue to serve as an important forum for political dialogue, contributing to the ongoing exchange of views on the European security architecture”, says the programme. The summit is scheduled for 7 November in Budapest.
More broadly, while foreign policy is the responsibility of the High Representative of the Union and not the rotating Presidency, Hungary intends to contribute to strengthening the EU’s capacity as a global player and stresses the importance of further strengthening and forging “honest and mutually beneficial” partnerships and effective multilateralism.
The Presidency programme covers all regions of the world.
Ukraine. While Ukraine has been one of the priorities of previous EU Council Presidencies, Hungary has made it clear that it will continue to work on the basis of previous decisions and guidelines set by the European Council. “To achieve the peace that ends the war and enjoys the widest possible international support, the global coordination and support efforts must continue”, explains the programme, which adds that the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU will endeavour to promote coordination with the most important global partners and donors in the area of support for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
“We will also work to ensure consistency and coherence between international and EU support efforts, paying particular attention to the implementation of the Ukraine Facility. In this respect the goal of the Presidency is to guarantee that the Council maintain its steering role”, explains the Presidency.
Neighbourhood. Considering that in order to guarantee the security, prosperity and economic development of the Union, it is essential to establish the closest and most mutually beneficial relations possible with the EU’s immediate neighbour countries and regions, Hungary has made the Eastern Partnership a priority. It will also support the implementation of the Joint Communication on renewed partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood and the execution of the Economic and Investment Plan, as well as the deepening of security and defence cooperation in the fields of counterterrorism and addressing the challenges of illegal migration locally.
Africa. The Hungarian Presidency will seek to strengthen cooperation between Europe and Africa, “both through regional international organisations and bilateral cooperation with individual countries”. It will work closely with the EU institutions to use all the instruments at their disposal to support the countries concerned, in particular the Global Gateway Strategy, the NDICI financial instrument, the ‘European Peace Facility’, and through CSDP operations and civilian or military missions.
Hungary considers it important to develop a coherent EU position on the Sahel region reflecting current challenges, including evolving security aspects and strengthening existing partnerships. It will continue to implement the European Sahel Strategy.
In addition, “to strengthen wider regional security and combat illegal migration”, the Hungarian Presidency intends to strengthen existing strategic partnerships in North Africa (Tunisia, Egypt), and promote the conclusion of other comprehensive agreements with the countries of the wider Sahel region (including Mauritania, Senegal and Chad), in cooperation with the European Commission. It will also focus on a security-focused dialogue with other key regional players such as Niger and Libya.
Middle East/Gulf. The aim of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council for the Middle East is to “prevent a regional escalation of the conflict, alleviate the suffering of innocent civilians, and resolve the humanitarian crisis”. Another priority is to guarantee the EU’s significant role in the long-term political settlement of the conflict. Building on the Abraham Accords, the Presidency will support the development of further trilateral cooperation (EU-Israel-Arab countries) in the region to promote regional integration. It also intends to promote more active cooperation with the Gulf States by implementing the Joint Communication.
Turkey. As Turkey is an “indispensable partner of the EU” in many areas, and recalling the conclusions of the European Council, the Hungarian Presidency will therefore seek to give fresh impetus to the deepening of strategic cooperation in areas of common interest and to promote political dialogue. It also attaches great importance to the resumption and progress of the comprehensive settlement negotiations with Cyprus.
North America. The Presidency intends to strengthen beneficial partnerships with the United States and Canada in the economic, energy, security and defence, trade and political fields.
South Caucasus. Enhancing cooperation with the countries of the South Caucasus region, with a particular focus on the EU’s energy security, the development of trade routes and the preservation of regional stability, is another priority.
Latin America. The Hungarian Presidency aims to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with Latin American countries through international and regional frameworks, in a spirit of equal partnership, “for example in the areas of climate change, connectivity, energy and food security”.
Asia/Pacific. Recognising the direct impact of peace and prosperity on the Asian continent on the stability and competitiveness of Europe, Hungary is committed to strengthening relations between the EU and the countries of Asia, especially the countries of Central Asia and, in particular, those of the Indo-Pacific region.
It is focusing on the implementation of European initiatives in the region, such as the Indo-Pacific strategy and regional projects within the Global Gateway investment strategy. It also plans to promote free trade agreements and partnership and cooperation agreements.
The Hungarian Presidency’s priorities document cites the importance of maintaining relations with countries such as India, South Korea, Japan, the ASEAN countries, but above all China, a country towards which Hungary wants to adopt “a pragmatic and balanced” approach.
“China is an important trade and economic partner. In EU-China relations, we consider constructive dialogue on the economy and strategic security particularly important”, summarises the document.
The Presidency will also monitor security challenges such as Afghanistan and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Link to the programme: https://aeur.eu/f/crs (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Pauline Denys)