On the invitation of Interior Minister Sándor Pintér the Polish Minister of Interior Jerzy Miller arrived on Monday to Budapest. The primary aim of the summit was that the two parties review the achievements of the Hungarian EU Presidency and discuss the on-going, open dossiers.

The Hungarian EU Presidency closed the first Trio functioning in the framework of the Lisbon Treaty. Besides the close cooperation with the Spanish and Belgian partners it was important to maintain continuity in order to build good cooperation with Poland, the first member of the next Trio. It is not unprecedented, as the two Ministers have already reviewed the most important common issues during their meeting in Warsaw in October 2010. As it is memorable on June 23 the Polish President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek asked Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to form a special “Hungarian-Polish Duo” and manage EU issues actively together after the Spanish-Belgian-Hungarian Presidency Trio membership.

On the meeting of Monday the Hungarian and the Polish Ministers reviewed the foreseeable tasks relating to Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession. Since the adoption of the Council conclusions Justice and Home Affairs Council confirmed that the two countries are fully prepared to apply the Schengen aquis, and conditions for border opening have been met. The Council will come back to this question on the meeting held in September under the Polish Presidency.

The two Ministers discussed the asylum package too. Hungarian Presidency made significant progress concerning certain elements of the package. The Polish Presidency continues to work on this basis in order to realize the Common European Asylum System by 2012. This commitment was reinforced again on the meeting of the Heads of State or Government held on June 24.

The informal session of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the Polish Presidency took place on 18-20 July in Sopot, where Interior Ministers held political debate on the future of the Shengen area, the Common European Asylum System and on the new challenges of drug policy.

The Eastern Partnership was also mentioned on the meeting as it will be priority of the Polish presidency in the next semester. In the framework of the Partnership EU intends to strengthen its political and economic relations with six former Soviet republics – Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Belarus.

(kormany.hu)