The Hungarian State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians and the Hungary Helps Programme, Tristan Azbej, said, on Thursday 26 September, to MEPs of the European Parliament’s Committee on Development (DEVE), that the implementation of the Samoa Agreement between the EU and 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (see EUROPE 13388/16) was “a key priority” for the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council.
“Hungary and its Presidency are committed to ensuring the effective implementation of the Agreement. The European External Action Service and the European Commission are actively collaborating, and the EU Council must contribute by means of conclusions that will define the framework for cooperation with our partners”, stated Mr Azbej.
In addition, the Secretary of State expressed the Hungarian Presidency’s general concern at the growing number of crises and increased humanitarian needs (see other news). Budapest assured wanting to promote the sustainable development goals and tackle today’s challenges “collectively”.
“It’s not just about delivering aid; our Presidency aims to serve the interests of the EU and its partners by contributing to global stability and prosperity”, said Mr Azbej, aligning himself with a vision similar to that of the Czech, Jozef Síkela, Commissioner-designate for International Partnerships, who intends to “focus on the EU’s economic security” during his future mandate (see EUROPE 13484/6).
In particular, the Hungarian Secretary of State defended the need to combat the crises in the Sahel (see EUROPE 13415/21), citing the risk of an increase in migratory flows. He also reiterated Hungary’s support for the European investment plan, Global Gateway (see EUROPE 12844/7), while calling for greater inclusion of SMEs and the “small Member States” of Central and Eastern Europe.
Reactions. MEPs Isabella Lövin (Greens/EFA, Swedish) and Udo Bullmann (S&D, German) both criticised Hungary’s current policy, while Isabel Serra Sánchez (The Left, Spanish) denounced Budapest’s failure to respect fundamental EU rights, particularly with regard to migrants.
Robert Biedroń MEP (S&D, Polish) questioned the very credibility of Hungary’s development ambitions. “Will your Presidency strengthen the EU or Russia and China through the visit of your Prime Minister [Viktor Orbán]?” (see EUROPE 13452/24). He added: “The EU is one of the main donors of development aid. This aid is based on certain values that are not shared by these countries”.
“Hungary represents the common interest of the EU. We are going to do everything we can to increase the EU’s competitiveness”, replied Mr Azbej.
“We do not believe that there is a military solution to [the war in Ukraine] and we do not want it to continue for too long, damaging this competitiveness. In developing countries and areas of instability, we want to ensure our presence and represent the interests of our companies”, he concluded. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)