Communiqué de l'ambassade de Hongrie en France
Prime Minister addressed annual
ambassadors’ meeting
Hungary has a vested interest in seeing
the success of the Eurozone, as we are linked to the bloc in many
ways, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said, addressing the annual
meeting of ambassadors in Budapest on Tuesday.
"A successful Eurozone will
significantly increase the chances of a successful Hungarian
economy," he stated, adding that the European Union would not
see economic growth without Central Europe. He added that the
region's countries should have joined the union earlier. The Prime
Minister emphasised that a deeper institutional and eco-political
integration of the Eurozone will take place, making large strides,
over the next few years. Hungary, however, pursues a policy of
balance and does not approve of national competences being converted
"on the sly" into community-level competences in the EU, he
added. He pointed out that an unclear relationship in national and
community competences only favours large states and leads to double
standards. The Hungarian Prime Minister said that at a time of
crisis, targeted measures produce better results, without which it
will be impossible to exit the crisis. Yet Hungary's targeted
measures, such as the banking and telecommunications taxes, are
constantly criticised, he added, pointing out that Hungary has been
able to reverse negative trends and reduce state debt. The country's
position could improve even further if it chooses an early repayment
of a loan taken from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "The
budget deficit is below 3% for the third year, the country stands on
its own feet, the Government has dealt with the problems of foreign
currency borrowers, unemployment is on the decline as well as
household utility bills, while wages and pensions are increasing and
the economy is growing," he highlighted. Prime Minister Orbán
also said he expected great economic growth data in the last quarter
of this year.
On the subject of relations with Russia,
he stated that the EU must reach an agreement with the country to
improve its competitiveness. For Central Europe, this is historically
a complex issue, he added. The region must clearly define its
interests in the context of a long-term EU-Russia strategic
agreement, in case such an agreement comes about, he said.
The Prime Minister emphasised that since
the EU is a transatlantic community, it must strike a balance between
a strategic pact with Russia and a free trade agreement with the
United States. As for the latter, a Hungarian Government committee
has been formed to establish how such an agreement would affect the
various sectors of the Hungarian economy, he added. On another issue
raised, Hungary's potential accession into the Eurozone, he stated
that this can be considered when Hungary's per capita GDP reaches 90%
of those of the Eurozone states, adding that this is unlikely to
happen in the next decade.
Regarding US relations Prime Minister
Orbán said that there are differences of opinion on ideology with
the US. He stated that America must accept that "freely-elected
representatives of the Hungarian people make decisions freely about
what is good for them and what is not". On the other hand, he
said, on issues such as military cooperation, secret-service
cooperation and economic relations, the situation is outstanding.
16 July 2013
