Agefi Luxembourg - janvier 2025

Janvier 2025 17 AGEFI Luxembourg Economie / Banques Priorities and Results of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2024 Seeking Collective Responses to Historic Challenges By H.E. Dr. Tamás Iván KOVÁCS, Ambassador of Hungary O n the 1st of July, Hungary tookover fromBelgiumthe six-month rotatingpresi- dency of theCouncil of the EuropeanUnion. H.E.Mr. Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungarypaid a visit toBrus- sels on this occasion. The Headof State attended the HolyMass for Europe at the Cathedral of SaintMichael andSaintGudula andmet with theHungarianCommu- nity in the Liszt Institute.At the opening ceremony of the HungarianPresidency in Bozar, the President underli- nedHungary’s commitment todefendingEuropean inte- rests and the importance of the cohesionof communities. Hungary took over the Presi- dency of theCouncil of the Euro- pean Union at a time of extraordinary circumstances and challenges. While there is a war raging inour neighbourhood, the EU is laggingmore andmore be- hind its global competitors. A fragile security situation, illegal migration, thevulnerabilityof in- ternational supplychains, natural disasters, the effects of climate change, and the impact of demo- graphic trends are challenges we must face together. Furthermore, as 2024 was a year of institutional transition, the HungarianPresidencyhad toen- sure continuity of work in the Council, in cooperation with a newly establishedEuropeanPar- liament and European Commis- sion. The new Commission took office from 1 December thus completing the institutional tran- sitionperiodduring theHungar- ian Presidency. As in 2010-2011, wewere sharing the trio presidency with Spain andBelgium. The triopresidency program was adopted in 2023, and the program of the Hungar- ian EU-presidency – which is in line with the priorities of the trio program – was published on 18 June 2024, just before the end of the Belgianpresidency. Itsmotto: “Make Europe Great Again” re- flected our aimof an active Presi- dency and the conviction that we can be stronger together in Eu- ropewhileremainingwhoweare individuallyasEuropeannations with different languages, histori- calandconstitutionalexperiences. The motto represented the belief that Europe is able to become a global actor in our changing world. The number one goal of the European Union during the HungarianPresidencywas toen- sure thepeaceandsecurityof Eu- rope. This was the aim of the founding fathers, themainexpec- tation of the citizens of Europe, thus the framework of the priori- ties of theHungarianPresidency. TheCouncil hasmade significant progress oneachof the sevenpri- orities (new European Competi- tiveness Deal, reinforcement of the European defence policy, consistent and merit-based en- largement policy, stemming ille- galmigration, shaping the future of the cohesion policy, farmer- oriented EU agricultural policy, addressing demographic chal- lenges) set out in the Hungarian Presidency programme. Among these, I wish to highlight the fol- lowing key areas where results have been achieved that will in- fluence our common future in the long term: competitiveness, consistent and merit-based en- largement policy, enlargement of the Schengen Area, and farmer- oriented agricultural policy. Competitiveness One of the most significant mile- stones of our Presidency was the adoption of the Budapest Decla- ration by the informal meeting of the European Council on 8 November 2024. The purpose of the declaration is to set out the mainguidelinesforstrengthening Europeancompetitivenessduring the next institutional cycle. In the Budapest Declaration – as a result of the debate on the new EuropeanCompetitivenessDeal– the Heads of State and Govern- ment identified12keyareas of ac- tion, prominently including the strengthening of the Single Mar- ket, the renewal of industrial pol- icy, innovation, and the financial aspects of competitiveness chal- lenges. The adoptionof theDecla- ration clearly demonstrates that thereisconsensusamongMember Statesonthenecessityofstrength- ening European competitiveness. The significance of the Budapest Declaration lies in its horizontal approach, as it requires the inte- gration of competitiveness con- siderations across all EU policy areas.Additionally, it sets specific deadlines for EUinstitutions (pri- marily the European Commis- sion) and establishes a framework for regular follow-up by the European Council. We have also focused on reflect- ing this priority in our local agenda. We held the first tradi- tional Heads of Mission (HoMs) lunch in Brussels on the 2nd day of our presidencywithMr. Johan Thijs, CEO of the KBC Group. (KBC is not only a market leader in Belgium, it is also the largest foreign-owned bank in Hun- gary.)Aweek later,we embarked on an “away day” in Antwerp enrichedwithadiverseprogram, including visits to the Port of Antwerp and the Antwerp WorldDiamond Center. WecontinuedinSeptemberinthe Grand Duchy visiting Luxem- bourg Airport with the expert guidance of Lux-Airport, Car- goluxandLuxair.Our lunchwith H.E. Mr. Gilles Roth, Minister of Finance of Luxembourg was fo- cusing on the European Capital MarketUnion.AvisittoGuardian Glass Luxembourg completed our series of HoMs events in the field of competitiveness. Consistent andMerit-Based Enlargement Policy The Hungarian Presidency is firmly committed tomaking sig- nificant progress with regards to the accessionprocess of theWest- ern Balkan countries as well. It has now been 21 years since we made our common promise in Thessaloniki regarding theEuro- pean future of the region; it is time to deliver. On 15 October 2024, an intergovernmental con- ference (IGC) was held in Lux- embourg with Albania to open the first cluster.Additionally, the external relations (sixth) cluster was also opened in December. The Presidency succeeded in closing three chapterswith Mon- tenegro on 16 December, and made progress towards the opening the third cluster with Serbia . The EU–Western Balkans Summit took place on 18 December 2024, in Brussels. The Home Affairs Council de- cided on 12 December to lift checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025. The decision marked a milestone for the Schengen Area which was al- ready a priority during our pre- vious Presidency in 2011. Farmer-OrientedEU CommonAgricultural Policy At themeeting of theAgriculture and Fisheries Council on 9 De- cember 2024, ministers adopted Council Conclusions on the fu- ture of a farmer-oriented Com- mon Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2027, aimed at providing political guidance for the newly established Commission in the fieldof CAP. For the first time all 27EUagricultureministers high- lighted the strategic impor- tance of the CAP and its role in ensuring food security and safety. This is an important con- tribution to the debate about the role of the CAP within the next Multiannual Financial Frame- work (MFF). Council Declaration on Fostering Jewish Life and CombatingAntisemitism A significant achievement of the Hungarian Presidency is the adoption of the Council Declara- tion on fostering Jewish life and combating antisemitism by the GeneralAffairsCouncil. Thedoc- ument, preparedby theHungar- ian Presidency, is also referenced in the October 2024 conclusions of the EU Heads of State and Government, further emphasiz- ing the importance of Jewish life andculture. TheHungarianPres- idency together with the Euro- peanCommissionalsoorganised a high-level conference on Pro- tecting Jewish Communities in Europe on 4 December 2024. Budget On 18 November 2024, the Hun- garian Presidency of the Council successfully reached an agree- ment with the European Parlia- ment on the European Union’s 2025budget,whichwas also ap- proved by both the Council (25 November) and the European Parliament (27 November) within the deadline . European Political Community (EPC) Summit Among the other important re- sults,weneed tomention the Eu- ropean Political Community (EPC) summit which took place on7November 2024 inBudapest hosting a total of 48 delegations led by 42 European Heads of State and Government. Guests included thePresidents of theEu- ropean Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament, as well as the Secre- taryGeneral ofNATO, the Secre- tary General of the Council of Europe, and representative of the OSCE. The summit provided a comprehensive platform for bi- lateral andmultilateral high-level discussions, which the Presi- dency facilitated both through the agendadesignand the choice of venue. Among these discus- sions, the meeting between Greek, Turkish, andCypriot lead- ers was particularly notable. Providing an opportunity for honest discussion of pressing is- sueshas alsobeenourmission lo- cally . On 5 July 2024 we welcomed H.E. Mr. Claude Wiseler, President of the Cham- ber of Deputies as our first guest of honor and we concluded our HoMs lunches in Belgium on 17 December by receiving the pres- idents of both houses of the Bel- gian Parliament, H.E. Mr. Peter De Roover, President of the House of Representatives and H.E. Ms. Valérie De Bue, Presi- dent of the Senate. On 21 October, we greeted H.E. Mr. Luc Frieden, Prime Minister ofLuxembourgandon5Novem- ber H.E. Mr. Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium ac- cepted our invitation to be the guest of honor at the House of Hungary in Brussels. With only one exception, all EU Member States were represented. We had the honor to host on 9 December H.E. Mr. Xavier Bettel, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for For- eign Affairs and Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation andHumanitarianAffairsinLux- embourg,andon12Decemberhis Belgian counterpart, H.E. Mr. BernardQuintin, Minister of For- eignAffairs,EuropeanAffairsand Foreign Trade and of the Federal Cultural Institutions of Belgium. Firsts The Hungarian Presidency has identified addressing the demo- graphic challenges experienced inEurope as ahorizontal priority. On 18-19 November 2024, the first ever informal meeting of ministers responsible for demo- graphic issues was held. The Hungarian Presidency also or- ganised the first ever Council meeting (Employment, Social Policy,HealthandConsumerAf- fairs (EPSCO) Council) on 2 De- cember 2024 that was chaired in sign language by Secretary of State ÁdámKósa. Defence Policy The Hungarian Presidency has focused on three main pillars in the area of theCommon Security and Defence Policy (CSDP): strengthening the EU’s military responsiveness and crisis man- agement capacities; increasing the efficiency of European mili- tary capabilitydevelopment; and reinforcing the European De- fence Technological and Indus- trial Base (EDTIB) while promoting defence innovation. The Council is currently negoti- ating the draft regulation on the European Defence Industry Pro- gramme (EDIP). On the local level we organized three defense related high-level programs. On 10 September, we visited MelsbroekAir Base,whereMajor General Filip Borremans, Direc- tor-General of Material Re- sources, delivered a presentation on Belgian military acquisitions and theEuropeandefense indus- try. On 3 October, when we vis- ited two key players of the Belgianand international defense manufacturing: FN Herstal and Thales Belgium. Finally, we em- barked on an “away day” in Capellen, Luxembourg to be the guests of theNATOSupport and ProcurementAgency (NSPA). The Hungarian Presidency paid particular attention to the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking within the topic of strengthening the security of theEUand its citizens.On18Sep- tember Mr. Eric Snoeck, Com- missioner General of the Belgian Federal Police and Mr. Kristian Vanderwaeren, Administrator- General of the GeneralAdminis- tration of Customs and Excise informed us about the Belgian approach regarding this subject. Health On 3December 2024, at themeet- ingoftheEmployment,SocialPol- icy, Health andConsumerAffairs (EPSCO) Council, the Member States adopted Council Conclu- sions in the field of health-related Presidency priorities, which are closely linked to the overarching demographicandcompetitiveness priorities(CouncilConclusionson the improvement of cardiovascu- larhealth,CouncilConclusionson enhancing organ donation and transplantation). Hungaryhasprovedtobeworthy of the trust of its partners having workedasanhonestbroker,inthe spirit of sincere cooperation be- tweenMemberStatesandinstitu- tions, for the peace, security and prosperity of a truly strong Eu- rope. As a bilateral Embassy ac- credited to Belgium and Luxembourg we celebrate not only a very successful Hungarian EU-presidency, but also the con- clusion of an extraordinary sixth month,havingorganizedarecord settingnumberofover20success- ful Heads of Mission events, in- cluding high-level discussions, cultural events and variousmeet- ingswithstakeholdersbothinBel- giumandLuxembourg. Le financement des partis politiques en 2023 à la loupe L es représentants de la Cour des Comptes ont présenté le rapport an- nuel sur le financement des partis politiques pour l'exer- cice 2023 auxmembres des Commissions duContrôle de l'exécutionbudgétaire et des Institutions, le lundi 13 janvier 2025. Lors de ce contrôle, la Cour des Comptesarelevédesirrégularités dans lesdépensesd’unparti poli- tique. À la suite de ces constats, les représentants de l’institution ont recommandé oralement aux députés de clarifier certains aspects de la loi modifiée de 2007 sur le financement despartispoli- tiques, en particulier en ce qui concerne le cadre des dépenses autorisées. Dans le cas du parti Piratepartei Lëtzebuerg, une irrégularité a été identifiée concernant un contrat de leasing pour une voituremise à disposition à une mandataire du parti. La Cour des Comptes a noté qu’aucune recette liée à cette mise à disposition ni créance envers lamandatairen’a été enre- gistrée en 2023. Les membres des deux commis- sionsparlementairesontdécidéde saisir le président de la Chambre des Députés concernant cette affaire.Unequestionseposequant à un éventuel usage de fonds publicspourcouvrirdesdépenses personnelles dumandataire. Lors des échanges, les représentants de laCour ont souligné que certaines dispositions de la loi modifiée de 2007 restent floues en matière de gestion des dépenses des partis politiques. Ils ont donc suggéré d’entamerunerévisiondecetexte, une proposition que les députés ont décidé de considérer. Les députés ont demandé à la Cour des comptesde leur faireparvenir leurs recommandations écrites. Pour l’exercice 2024, la Cour des Comptes prévoit d’approfondir son analyse de l’éligibilité des dépenses et des recettes des partis politiques, conformément à la législationprécitée. Les déclarations sur l'honneur : des déclarations font défaut Un député de l'opposition a constaté qu'un certainnombrede candidats auxélections législative de 2023 n'ont pas signé, respecti- vement transmis, leurdéclaration sur l'honneur, comme l’exige pourtant la loi. Ce manquement est passible d’une sanction pénale. Face à cette situation, les deux commissions prévoient d’adresser une lettre officielle au Président de la Chambre, lui demandant de continuer ces faits au Procureur général. Source : Chambre des Députés