The main topics of discussion during the recent visit to France by Foreign Minister János Martonyi were the citizenship law, Slovak-Hungarian relations, restoring the economy to health and Hungary’s impending turn at the EU rotating presidency. Mr Martonyi held talks with his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner in Paris on July 7, 2010. He also met Christine Lagarde, the economy minister, Pierre Lellouche, state secretary for European affairs and Jean-David Levitte, chief advisor to the French president.

After his meeting with Mr Kouchner, Mr Martonyi said despite the fact that Hungary had made strenuous efforts to clarify the major aspects of the dual citizenship law the world’s press had not given an entirely accurate account of it. It is a basic fact that Hungary will not grant citizenship automatically but only on the basis of individual application. Mr Martonyi added that there are people all over the world who hold Hungarian citizenship as well as the citizenship of another state; thus the modification of the law merely eliminated a grave discrimination as regards those in the countries neighbouring Hungary.

On the subject of relations between Bratislava and Budapest, he said that Hungary wishes to initiate a comprehensive series of negotiations with Slovakia with the aim of clarifying contentious issues.

After Mr Martonyi’s face-to-face meeting with Mr Kouchner, Ms Lagarde joined them for a working lunch. They discussed, besides global economic issues, the details of Hungary’s economic action plan. Mr Martonyi said that the Hungarian plan was a special combination of budgetary discipline and of measures to stimulate the economy, an approach that could serve as a model. A big question concerns how to implement the two elements of the Hungarian action plan, which is in many respects similar to current French economic policy, in concert. The foreign minister noted common points of French and Hungarian policy: tax breaks for small- and medium-sized enterprises, savings in public administration and government and eliminating wasteful practices in state-owned companies.

Mr Martonyi’s French partners agreed with him that “if there hadn’t been a crisis, it would have had to be invented,” since in various ways it prompted EU member states to take action. Without the crisis, the need for economic governance might not have emerged. The French government, in his judgement, is less pessimistic about the future of the euro and the European Union.

In connection with undertakings in Afghanistan, Mr Kouchner informed his Hungarian counterpart that France, in line with earlier promises, intended to increase the number of its training personnel by 250-300 in the near future. In response, Mr Martonyi said that Hungary would also put the main emphasis on increasing, in line with its possibilities, its training personnel.

The approaching Hungarian EU presidency was also discussed at the talks with French ministers. Mr Martonyi asked for EU-founder France’s support for Hungary’s six-month presidency. He noted that France had already provided considerable professional and linguistic support during the preparatory phase.

In separate talks with Mr Lellouche, Mr Martonyi identified the launching of economic governance, that is, the closer coordination of the economic policies of the member states, as one of the biggest challenges facing the Hungarian EU presidency. He also emphasised the importance of discussions prior to the adoption of the new EU budget, with particular emphasis on the issues relating to the financing of the cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy, as well as the possibility of creating a common energy policy coming to the fore.

In the morning, the foreign minister addressed the French Diplomatic Academy on EU presidential priorities before meeting Mr Levitte.

Mr Martonyi and Mr Kouchner travelled to Brussels in the evening to attend an informal working dinner with EU foreign ministers. At the invitation of Steven Vanackere, the Belgian foreign minister, the Hungarian and French ministers joined their British, Danish, Polish, Maltese, Romanian and Swedish counterparts to discuss the work methods for creating common foreign-policy content for the EU’s foreign service, which is in the process of being established. Mr Martonyi said that the Hungarian side maintains its claim as regards receiving a proportionate role in the EU External Action Service, once it is created.

The foreign ministers further agreed that they would continue to hold the General Affairs Council sessions in parallel with the EU foreign ministerial meetings. These meetings serve for discussing among the member states the EU’s organisational and institutional issues, possible timely enlargement questions, as well as horizontal topics in general. They also review progress made on implementing joint goals.