In its capacity as the current holder of the Presidency, Hungary represented the European Union at the second Clean Energy Ministerial Conference organised in the United Arab Emirates on 6-7 April 2011. On behalf of the rotating Presidency of the European Union, Tamás Iván Kovács, Deputy State Secretary for EU and International Relations of the Hungarian Ministry of National Development, also took the floor.
In accordance with the European Commission’s Communication published on 1 April 2011, the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will also seek greater emphasis on critical information infrastructure protection in the future across Europe and in the world at the Telecom Ministerial Conference hosted in Balatonfüred, Hungary, on 14-15 April 2011.
“Today Europe needs Cohesion Policy more than ever,” declared Minister for National Development Tamás Fellegi at the high-level conference on the future of Cohesion Policy held on 31 March – 1 April, 2011 in Budapest. The two-day conference was one of the highlights of the six-month Hungarian Presidency. The organisers wish to raise dialogue on this issue to a higher level in order to promote success in Cohesion Policy, cut the red tape, improve its implementation efficiency and make its achievements measurable.
Minister of National Development, also in charge of climate change affairs, Tamás Fellegi chaired the climate change issues at the informal meeting of European Union’s environment ministers on 26 March 2011. As the only agenda item of the Gödöllő meeting, the participants discussed the various issues of the international climate protection regime, and during the working lunch, the European Union’s forward-looking low carbon roadmap to 2050 was addressed out.
On 21 March 2011, in Brussels the extraordinary meeting of energy ministers convened by Minister of National Development Tamás Fellegi discussed the consequences of the North African events and the earthquake and tsunami that affected Japan. In the framework of the single agenda item, the participants discussed the current state of energy industry and the impacts of the recent events on the energy market. They exchanged views on the short, medium- and long-term responses required of the European Union and the Member States.
The sixth session of the Hungarian-Russian Intergovernmental Committee for Economic Cooperation was concluded by the signature of a protocol and a joint declaration of modernisation and partnership on 18 March 2011 in Moscow. The documents were signed by Hungarian Minister of National Development Tamás Fellegi and Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov. Cooperation opportunities in the field of energy, agriculture, finances and transport were discussed during the talks.
On 16 March 2011, with a significant majority the Hungarian National Assembly Parliament adopted the draft act No. T/1941 and the related amending motions submitted by the Ministry of National Development. The act approved by the MPs, among others, transposes a significant part of the legislation of the so-called 3rd energy package of the European Union into Hungarian law.
On 14 March, 2011 Dr Tamás Fellegi, Minister of National Development, also in charge of climate change policy, chaired the climate change policy agenda items at the European Council’s environment policy meeting in Brussels.
On 8 March 2011, Deputy State Secretary for Energy Pál Kovács, representing the Ministry of National Development, conducted negotiations with the delegation of the French company AREVA headed by Deputy Chairman Jean-Hugues Perreard. During the Budapest meeting the parties overviewed the most important technical conditions and financing opportunities that may be indispensable for the future extension of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant.
The high-level conference organised on the implementation of the Single European Sky programme package was closed by approval of the Budapest Charter on 4 March, 2011. The document sets out the concrete and effective measures that can be taken by the stakeholders in support of the implementation of the joint efforts.