A civil forum was held at the Zrinyi Miklós National Defence University (ZMNDU) on 15 February, a week before the EU Defence Ministers’ informal meeting. The event organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence aimed at informing NGOs and civil organizations about the priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency.

Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy and Planning MoD, Peter Siklósi emphasized in his lecture: we act as a supporting presidency under the leadership of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton. The Deputy State Secretary outlined that the Hungarian EU Presidency is focusing on the reinforcement of the CSDP, the promotion of the European Defence Integration and on the implementation of the relevant provisions of the Lisbon Treaty. Peter Siklósi added: at the informal meeting of EU Defence Policy Directors held in January issues concerning the establishment of the European External Action Service were reviewed. Fruitful discussions were conducted on initiatives aiming at developing the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, such as the Weimar letter and the one on pooling and sharing. The meeting provided an opportunity to have an overview on the role of the European Defence Agency (EDA). EU Member States exchanged views on options how to develop EU-UN and EU-NATO relations. The Deputy State Secretary emphasized: the informal meeting of the EU Ministers of Defence will be held on 24th and 25th February in Gödöllő. It will be hosted by Minister of Defence Csaba Hende, while the working dinner and sessions will be chaired by Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

(Ministry of Defence, Press Office)

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