Hungarian EU Council Presidency 2011

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Hungarian EU Presidency 2011 logo
logo
country HungaryHungary Hungary
Term of office January 1, 2011 - June 30, 2011
Chair János Martonyi
Web presence http://eu2010.hu/
trio
SpainSpain Spain , Belgium , HungaryBelgiumBelgium HungaryHungary 
chronology
◀   Belgium Poland   ▶

The Hungarian EU presidency in the first half of 2011 refers to the Presidency of Hungary in the Council of Ministers of the European Union . Hungary belongs to the third trio presidency , which also included the Spanish and Belgian presidencies in 2010.

In accordance with the schedule, the members of the Orbán II cabinet took over the chairmanship of the various council formations on January 1, 2011. The General Affairs Council is chaired by the Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi ( Fidesz ). On July 1, 2011, the Presidency passed to the Polish Presidency .

The presidency of the European Council has not rotated since the Treaty of Lisbon came into force , but is elected for two and a half years. Herman Van Rompuy has been in office since December 1, 2009 . European Council summits were regularly scheduled on February 4, May 26 and June 24, 2011. In addition, there were two extraordinary summits on March 11th on the uprising in Libya and on 24th and 25th. March on the reform of the European Economic and Monetary Union . A special meeting of the heads of government of the Eurogroup took place on March 11th .

subjects

extension

The Hungarian Presidency made considerable progress in enlarging the EU . So were Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union , which should be completed by original plan in 2010, completed. At the June summit, the European Council approved membership on July 1, 2013; however, the signing of the accession treaty itself will only take place under the Polish Presidency . In addition, the screening phase in the accession negotiations with Iceland was completed and the first negotiating chapters even opened at the end of June, two of which were declared closed on the same day.

The expansion of the Schengen area to include Romania and Bulgaria was also a topic of discussion. This was requested by the two countries for March 2011, which was rejected by the German and French governments at the end of 2010. Hungary then announced in early January that the enlargement would be postponed. Although Hungary, the European Commission and the European Parliament voted in favor of Romania's and Bulgarian accession during the Council Presidency, the Justice and Home Affairs Council decided to postpone it in June without specifying a new target date.

Reform of the European Monetary Union

Another topic is the reform of the European Economic and Monetary Union in the wake of the euro crisis . The reform of the AEU Treaty agreed at the end of 2010 , through which a permanent European stabilization mechanism is made possible, was formally adopted at the March European Council . From 2013 this is to replace the provisional mechanism that was in effect until then. On March 4, two meetings were held in Helsinki and Athens in preparation for this decision, at which the heads of state and government belonging to the European People's Party (EPP) and the Party of European Socialists (PES) met. Such preparatory meetings at party level, while common, usually only take place in an informal setting shortly before the summits of the European Council. On March 24, 2011, the European Council then agreed on the precise design of the stabilization mechanism. Then the national ratification procedures are to be initiated.

Germany and France also presented early February 2011, proposals for improved cooperation between the Member States of the euro zone in the fiscal area in front of, among other things, an alignment of corporate tax rates and wage policies as well as a uniform retirement age provision. However, other member states reacted negatively to some of these proposals. At the February summit, Van Rompuy was commissioned to draw up a “Pact for Competitiveness” on the basis of the Franco-German initiative. At the summit of the heads of state and government of the Eurogroup on March 11, this was decided (under the new name “ Pact for the Euro ”). Contrary to what was initially proposed, however, it did not contain any legally binding regulations, only declarations of intent by the member states. At the March summit of the European Council, six other countries that had not adopted the euro also declared their accession to the pact. However, like Great Britain, Sweden and the Czech Republic, Hungary stayed away from the pact.

During the Hungarian Presidency, the so-called European semester was used for the first time , in which the governments of EU member states mutually examine their budgets before they are passed by the respective national parliaments.

Another legislative package was also negotiated to strengthen economic policy coordination between the Council of the EU and the European Parliament . This so-called “six-pack” provides in particular for tightening the Stability and Growth Pact as well as measures in the event of economic imbalances, ie high surpluses or deficits in the current account of member states. However, there were various conflicts between the Council and Parliament in the final phase. On the one hand, Parliament demanded that countries with export surpluses also take part in reducing economic imbalances, which the Council rejected at the instigation of the German government; On the other hand, the Council rejected a certain amendment of the Stability and Growth Pact called for by Parliament, according to which sanctions should automatically apply in the event of excessive deficits, on French instigation. Parliament then postponed the final vote on the legislative package to July 2011.

In addition to the long-term reform steps, there were also various crisis interventions in over-indebted member states of the euro zone. In mid-May, Portugal received an emergency loan from the European Financial Stability Facility , and at the beginning of June a new tranche of the loans granted to Greece in 2010 was disbursed. At the June summit, the European Council finally decided on further aid for Greece, but on the condition that the country would take further austerity measures. The European Council stated that it would also seek voluntary participation by private creditors in Greece.

Energy policy

The energy policy of the European Union is also at the center of the Hungarian Presidency . At the February summit of the European Council, it was decided to complete the internal energy market by 2014 by merging and expanding the energy networks. Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger proposed the introduction of EU project bonds to finance this network expansion . The energy ministers are now to draw up an action plan on energy efficiency in the Council for Transport, Telecommunications and Energy and, within the framework of the Europe 2020 strategy, set the priorities for expanding the trans-European networks in the energy sector.

The subject of the May summit of the European Council should be the Eastern Partnership , with the focus on the EU's energy supply from its eastern neighbors. However, this Eastern Partnership Summit has been postponed to the Polish Presidency in the second half of the year.

As a result of the earthquake in Japan on March 11th and the subsequent nuclear disaster in Fukushima , the debate on nuclear energy also intensified in the EU member states . Günther Oettinger called for an EU-wide nuclear phase-out to be discussed and initiated a meeting of the Council of Energy Ministers at which EU-wide stress tests for nuclear power plants were agreed, which began on June 1 and should last around the end of 2011. However, certain threats, in particular from terrorist attacks, were excluded from the stress tests at the urging of some Member States. Under the Euratom Treaty, the EU has only limited competences in the field of radiation protection and, according to Art. 194 TFEU, has no authority over the choice between different energy sources of the member states; According to Art. 192 TFEU, measures that significantly influence this choice can only be decided unanimously in the Council of the EU . Various MEPs therefore called for a treaty reform.

Multiannual financial framework 2014-2020

In June 2011 the European Commission will also make its proposal on the multiannual financial framework for the period 2014–2020. The Hungarian government announced that it would respect the institutional process and only prepare the debate that will be held in the second half of 2011. However, the main lines of conflict were characterized before the start of the Hungarian Presidency from, as the UK and some other states proposed to freeze the EU budget in 2013 and EU Structural Funds to cut, mainly from Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries , the are the main net beneficiaries of the Structural Funds has been criticized. In addition, the introduction of new own resources of the European Union , for example in the form of an EU tax, such as the Commissioner for Financial Planning and Budget , Janusz Lewandowski , brought up for debate in August 2010, is controversial; it is particularly rejected by Germany . Nevertheless, Commission President José Manuel Barroso announced a concrete proposal for a new own resources regulation for June 2011. Hungary declared itself to be open in principle, but announced that it would not give a formal statement before June. In May Barroso finally announced that the Commission proposal would only be published immediately before the start of the Polish EU Council Presidency from July 2011.

Response to the revolutions in North Africa

The unrest in the Arab world gained current importance at the beginning of 2011. After the member states of the European Union initially had difficulties in agreeing on a common position, the topic was discussed at the February summit. In response to the uprising in Libya , the EU imposed sanctions on the regime of Muammar al-Gaddafi . In addition, on the French initiative, a special European Council summit was convened on March 11th to develop a common position on the political response to the crisis and how to deal with the flow of refugees from North Africa. At the summit, the heads of state and government called for Gaddafi's immediate resignation, but were unable to agree on the question of military intervention. This was demanded primarily by France , but was rejected by Germany .

Debate on the Schengen Agreement

As a result of the unrest in the Arab world, there was also a debate about reforming the Schengen Agreement after Italy was overwhelmed by the influx of refugees from Tunisia and other countries. However, since the other EU countries were not ready to accept some of the refugees, the Italian government began to issue tourist visas to refugees, who would have been able to move freely throughout the Schengen area . Thereupon France declared a temporary suspension of the Schengen Agreement and the reintroduction of controls at the border with Italy. The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the French President Nicolas Sarkozy finally settled the conflict at the end of April with a joint demand for a reform of the agreement to facilitate the reintroduction of border controls. Various other government representatives, including the German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich , joined this demand.

The debate was exacerbated by the fact that shortly afterwards, at the urging of the right-wing populist Dansk Folkeparti , the Danish government decided to reintroduce permanent border controls. However, the measure met with sharp criticism, particularly in neighboring Sweden and in the European Parliament ; the European Commission announced a review. In June, the European Council finally asked the Commission to draw up a corresponding proposal for the revision of the Schengen Agreement by September. One of the topics under discussion is the introduction of a new body at European level that should approve the temporary reintroduction of border controls if necessary. This should on the one hand place them on a clear legal basis and thus make them easier, but on the other hand also withdraw them from the purely national decision of individual states. It is unclear, however, whether this possible new body will only be composed of the national interior ministries of the EU or whether the supranational institutions, i.e. the Commission and the European Parliament, should also be involved. While the interior ministries mostly advocate a rather restrictive immigration policy, the European Parliament mostly pushes for freedom of travel to be enforced.

other topics

Another topic of the Hungarian Presidency was the Roma policy of the European Union . To this end, the Commission presented a new framework strategy on April 5, which, however, left the main responsibility with the nation states. Among others, the Hungarian minority commissioner Ernő Kállai saw the strategy as inadequate and criticized his own government for its minority policy. The strategy was finally adopted by the Council in June.

At the end of January, a new directive on health policy of the European Union was adopted to facilitate cross-border treatment.

The selection of Jean-Claude Trichet's successor as President of the European Central Bank was also an important issue. After Axel A. Weber, a promising candidate, had declared his resignation in February, the European Council appointed Mario Draghi at the June summit , who is to take over the office from November 2011.

Controversy

The Hungarian Presidency was accompanied by several controversies. On the one hand, shortly before the end of the year, the Hungarian parliament passed a new media law that gave the newly established media authority Nemzeti Média- és Hírközlési Hatóság extensive powers to monitor the media available in Hungary. This was criticized by other European governments, such as Germany and France, but also in the European Parliament . The European Commission has announced that it will examine the conformity of the Hungarian media law with the EU directive on audiovisual media services . The Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán then declared that he would be ready to reform the law if the Commission objected to it. On January 21, the commission asked the Hungarian government to make various changes. At the beginning of February, it then presented a new version of the Media Act, which the Commission accepted as conforming to European law.

Another conflict arose from a “crisis tax” passed shortly before the Hungarian Council Presidency, which was intended to affect large foreign, especially German, companies in particular. The companies concerned saw this as a violation of the prohibition of discrimination in the European internal market . Again, the Commission initiated investigations, but not infringement proceedings .

The new Basic Law of Hungary passed in April also met with criticism in several EU countries. Among other things, the German Foreign Ministry questioned whether it was compatible with EU fundamental rights .

The controversies were finally evident in the final debate on the Hungarian Council Presidency in the European Parliament at the beginning of July 2011. There, the Group of the European People's Party (to which the Hungarian ruling party Fidesz belongs) was the only one to highlight the successes of the Council Presidency, while the Social Democrats in particular , Left , Greens and Liberals sometimes sharply criticized Hungarian politics.

Specialty

On the occasion of the Hungarian EU Council Presidency in 2011, a time capsule with messages in the form of drawings by Hungarian children was closed. Fifty of the 1700 drawings received were selected and placed in the time capsule. In the messages the children expressed their wishes and requests to the politicians of the European Union. At the end of the Hungarian Council Presidency, the time capsule was handed over by Enikő Győri to Robert Milders, Ambassador of the Netherlands. This time capsule was opened on the occasion of the Dutch EU Council Presidency in 2016 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ EurActiv , 23 June 2010: Belgium is taking cautious steps on EU enlargement .
  2. ^ Wiener Zeitung , June 30, 2011: Green light for Croatia .
  3. ^ Die Presse , June 24, 2011: EU clears the way for Croatia's accession .
  4. ↑ Wiener Zeitung , May 20, 2011: Croatia expects to join 2013 (last accessed on December 3, 2013)
  5. ↑ EurActiv , June 16, 2011: Iceland ready for concrete EU accession talks .
  6. ↑ EurActiv , June 28, 2011: EU accession talks: Iceland sets record .
  7. ↑ EurActiv , December 22, 2010: Schengen: Romania angered by German-French. Blockage .
  8. ↑ EurActiv 7 Jan 2011: Schengen: Confusion under Hungarian administration .
  9. ↑ die tageszeitung , June 9, 2011: EU newcomers stay outside .
  10. ^ EUobserver , March 4, 2011: Center-right leaders prepare economic battle-lines ; Europe's Socialists propose alternative pact to Barroso-Van-Rompuy plan .
  11. ↑ EUobserver , February 16, 2011: Athens vs. Helsinki: EU's left and right to hold pre-summit summits (English).
  12. ^ Die Presse : EU Summit: Agreement on a 700 billion rescue package , March 25, 2011.
  13. ↑ EurActiv , February 4, 2011: Merkel and Sarkozy are slowly moving towards euro area agreements .
  14. ↑ EurActiv , February 4, 2011: Franco-German fiscal pact encounters resistance .
  15. ↑ Financial Times Deutschland , February 4, 2011: EU economic government clears the first hurdle ( Memento of February 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ).
  16. ^ Wiener Zeitung , February 4, 2011: EU leaders want a stronger euro umbrella (accessed on November 20, 2013).
  17. ↑ Conclusions of the heads of state and government of the member states of the euro area of ​​11 March 2011. (PDF; 159 kB) 11 March 2011, accessed on 11 March 2011 .
  18. ↑ Wiener Zeitung , March 25, 2011: Agreement on the euro rescue package (last accessed on December 3, 2013)
  19. ↑ EurActiv , June 21, 2011: EU economic government: Council angry parliament .
  20. ↑ EurActiv , June 23, 2011: Economic government: Rehn lures EU Parliament with Eurobonds .
  21. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 16, 2011: Europe helps Portugal with 78 billion .
  22. ↑ Spiegel Online , June 3, 2011: Greece receives new financial injections .
  23. ↑ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , June 24, 2011: EU offers new Greeks billions in aid .
  24. ^ Wiener Zeitung , February 4, 2011: EU internal energy market should be in place by 2014 (accessed on November 20, 2013); EurActiv 07/02/2011 : Energy summit struggles with fossil fuel consumption .
  25. ↑ Spiegel Online , February 4, 2011: Oettinger wants to finance the power grid with EU bonds .
  26. ↑ EurActiv , December 20, 2010: Hungary at the top of the EU organizes “energy summit” ( memento of the original from December 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / euractiv.com
  27. ↑ a b EurActiv , November 10, 2010: Hungarian EU Presidency will start with energy .
  28. ↑ Eastern Partnership ( Memento of the original from March 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the homepage of the Hungarian Presidency. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eu2011.hu
  29. ↑ Spiegel Online , March 14, 2011: How the world reacts to the nuclear disaster .
  30. ^ Die Zeit , March 15, 2011: Oettinger wants to rethink nuclear power across Europe .
  31. ^ Wiener Zeitung , March 15, 2011: EU approves stress tests for nuclear power plants ( memento of January 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ).
  32. ↑ Focus , May 25, 2011: EU agree on stress test for nuclear reactors .
  33. ^ Wiener Zeitung , March 16, 2011: New movement in the nuclear power debate .
  34. ↑ a b c EurActiv , December 17, 2010: Cameron gathers troops for a budget fight ( Memento of the original from December 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / euractiv.com
  35. ↑ EurActiv , August 9, 2010: Berlin buries EU tax .
  36. ↑ Press release of the European Commission, November 26th 2010: Letter by President Barroso to Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament and Yves Leterme, President of the Council, on the Commission's new proposal for the 2011 Budget .
  37. ↑ EurActiv , May 24, 2011: Poland opens new EU representation and presents its plans .
  38. ↑ EurActiv , Feb 4, 2011: Energy summit won't shine .
  39. ↑ EurActiv , Feb 28, 2011: France calls for special EU summit on Libya .
  40. ↑ EurActiv , March 2, 2011: EU convenes special summit on Libya and North Africa .
  41. ↑ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , March 12, 2011: EU calls for "immediate resignation" by Gaddafi .
  42. ^ Die Zeit online, April 6, 2011: Shipwreck off Lampedusa, authorities fear many deaths .
  43. ↑ Stern , May 3, 2011: EU Commission demands explanations from Italy ( Memento of May 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ).
  44. ^ Die Zeit online, April 26, 2011: Berlusconi and Sarkozy are shaking the Schengen Agreement .
  45. ^ Tagesschau , May 11, 2011: Border controls at the German-Danish border again
  46. ↑ a b Der Standard , May 12, 2011: EU Interior Minister: Border control in national hands .
  47. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung , June 24, 2011: EU wants to allow more border controls .
  48. ↑ EurActiv , 10 March 2011: Parliament calls for EU strategy for Roma inclusion .
  49. ↑ EurActiv , 11 April 2011: New Roma Strategy or Old Alibi Policy? .
  50. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung , June 25, 2011: How Europe wants to help the Roma .
  51. ↑ EurActiv , December 22nd, 2010: Hungary at the top of the EU wants to promote tourism in the health sector  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; Gesundheit.gv.at: EU directive regulates cross-border healthcare ( memento of the original from March 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / euractiv.com   @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gesundheit.gv.at
  52. ^ Wiener Zeitung , June 24, 2011: EU summit appoints Mario Draghi as President of the ECB .
  53. ↑ a b c EurActiv , January 4, 2011: Trial of strength between Brussels and Budapest
  54. ↑ Focus , December 30, 2010: Hungary's media law: Federal government expects improvements
  55. ↑ Die Rheinpfalz , January 4th, 2011: Stricter media law in Hungary: France calls for changes ( Memento of the original of January 7th, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; EurActiv 05 Jan 2011: France: heavy criticism of Hungarian media law @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rp-online.de
  56. ↑ Handelsblatt , December 27, 2011: The EU Parliament calls for sanctions ; Spiegel online , January 19, 2011: Dispute over freedom of the press: EU Parliament grills Hungary's Prime Minister Orbán .
  57. ^ Wiener Zeitung , January 7, 2011: Changes in the event of complaints .
  58. ↑ Spiegel Online , January 21, 2011: Controversial media law: EU Commission gives Hungary an ultimatum .
  59. ^ Spiegel Online , February 10, 2011: Budapest presents amended media law .
  60. ^ Die Zeit online, February 16, 2011: EU agrees to amend the Hungarian media law .
  61. ↑ Stern , January 3, 2011: Brussels is investigating Hungary's crisis tax  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.stern.de  
  62. ↑ Deutsche Welle , April 19, 2011: International concern about the new Hungarian constitution  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.dw-world.de  
  63. ↑ EurActiv , Jul 6, 2011: Hungarian EU Presidency slips through final debate .
  64. ↑ My message to Europe ( Memento of the original from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eu2011.hu
predecessor Office successor
Belgian EU Council Presidency EU Council Presidency
January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011 		Polish EU Council Presidency