Brussels, 24/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The new Hungarian Foreign Minister, Laszlo Kovacs (who, like all the members of the new Centre-left government of Prime Minister Medgyessy, will take office next week) has announced several measures in view of ensuring that Hungary fully respects the political criteria for membership of the EU. "We will show a very strong commitment to the political criteria of EU membership", said Mr. Kovacs on Thursday at the end of a meeting in Brussels with the Commissioner responsible for enlargement, Gunter Verheugen. "We want to re-establish the impartiality of the media… restore the role of the parliament, restore financial autonomy of local government and we want to amend the bill on public procurement", said the new Foreign Minister. The new government's policy regarding the media should rapidly enable Hungary to conclude accession negotiations on the "audio-visual/culture policy" chapter. On the other chapters, and especially in the sensitive areas of agriculture, regional policy and budgetary issues, the new Hungarian Government will defend national interests with as much fervour as the former government of Mr. Orban, said Kovacs. Some agreements negotiated in accession negotiations by the previous government are even considered as unsatisfactory by the new coalition government; thus, the chapters (already provisionally closed) of "taxation" and the "free movement of capital" (where Hungary would like to seek a longer transitional period, identical to the one secured by Poland, to limit the purchase of Hungarian farm land by citizens of other Member states) should be re-opened at Budapest's request in view of finding more satisfactory solutions, stressed Mr. Kovacs.