Introduction
20 years ago, on May 1st, 2004, Poland, along with Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, and Slovenia, became member states of the European Union. Over the years, we have observed how this accession has strengthened both the member countries and the Union itself. It has facilitated the development of new infrastructure through various funds and investments. European citizens have benefited significantly from the freedom of movement of people, capital, services, and goods. These are just a few of the advantages of membership in this entity. Conversely, the European Union has been able to propagate its core values, such as democracy and human rights, on a broader scale, and become one of the world’s largest single markets.
On this auspicious occasion, in commemoration of one of the pivotal moments in Poland’s history, the Institute of the New Europe has recognized an opportunity to gain deeper insight into the perspectives and reflections of other member states regarding the significant contributions Poland has made to the Union over the past two decades, as well as how Poland’s membership has influenced the Union’s directions and policies, including those related to regional security, human rights, and the economy. We believe that acquainting ourselves with the viewpoints of fellow member states could significantly enhance our understanding of Poland’s position within the European Union and its broader implications.
The Institute was privileged to receive the reflections and opinions of the Ambassador of Hungary in Poland. Below, we present the content of the response provided by the Ambassador Orsolya Zsuzsanna Kovács. We eagerly anticipate further opportunities to engage with such esteemed representatives to glean additional insights on this matter.
Response to inquiry on Poland’s presence in the European Union by Embassy of Hungary
During the regime change of 1989, both Hungary and Poland shook off the shackles of the communist dictatorship and the Soviet occupation. Based on the legacy of centuries-old Hungarian-Polish friendship, the two countries have set a common goal in close cooperation after 1989: they both wished to become integral part of the democratic Europe through Euro-Atlantic integration. The parties, in cooperation with the former Czechoslovakia, established the Visegrád Group, which provided Hungary and Poland a common platform for regional cooperation and stronger representation of Central European interests within Europe.
As a clear recognition of Poland’s and Hungary’s firm commitment and efforts, the two countries became full members of NATO in 1999, and then of the EU in 2004. Joint accession to the EU has created an excellent opportunity to implement the previous good bilateral and regional cooperation at a new EU-level. Our economies benefited from the advantages of the European single market, the cohesion funds and the common trade policy, which initially consolidated and then accelerated our economic growth. Despite some of our different views regarding the evaluation of common European interests, we have never stopped finding a common path to solve newly emerging challenges.
As Hungary will hold the rotating EU Presidency in the second half of 2024, during the institutional transition, we are committed to ensuring a smooth transition to the next legislative cycle and to building a close and constructive relationship with the new institutional actors. We are also committed to fulfilling the tasks of the Presidency as an ‘honest broker’. Possible flagship topics of the Hungarian Presidency will be: (I) improving the competitiveness of the EU; (II) addressing demographic challenges; (III) enlargement; (IV) addressing illegal migration with a special focus on the external dimension; (V) strengthening defence policy at EU level; (VI) shaping the future of cohesion policy; (VII) adoption of the EU budget 2025.
One of the priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency is enlargement. During our Presidency, we intend to take the EU enlargement process forward in line with the new enlargement methodology, based on the Commission’s reports and a merit-based approach. Hungary has traditionally been one of the most committed supporters of the enlargement process. We firmly believe that this process is of strategic importance, but it must be merit-based and a balance must be maintained between the Western Balkans and the relatively newcomers, namely the Eastern Trio countries. The progress of the latter must not be at the expense of the Western Balkans. There is no fast track in the enlargement process. We plan to open and, in some cases, close as many accession negotiating chapters as possible with our Western Balkan partners.
We will seek to achieve substantive progress with candidate and potential candidate countries. The actual performance of candidate and potential candidate countries should be assessed separately, and the progress of some countries should not affect the perception of others. During the Hungarian EU Presidency, priority will be given to opening clusters with Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia, and closing chapters with Montenegro. Regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina, we welcome the decision of the European Council in March to open negotiations and hope that the negotiations can begin this year. Bridging solutions such as gradual integration and symbolic gestures are also needed to achieve Presidency’s objectives. We will therefore support participation of Western Balkan ministers in informal Council meetings. For the Eastern Trio, our aim is to start the accession negotiations with Moldova and achieve candidate status for Georgia. For Ukraine, we aim to achieve 100 percent compliance with the conditions set for the country. The focus should be on fulfilling the conditions. Ukraine continues to fail to meet the 7 criteria set for the granting of candidate status, including the condition on the protection of the rights of national minorities.
Ambassador Orsolya Zsuzsanna Kovács
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