Meeting No 3072 of the European Union’s Energy Council was held on 28 February 2011 in Brussels. The meeting was chaired by Minister of National Development Dr Tamás Fellegi.
On 8 February 2011, the transport ministers of the 27 Member States, European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas and Chairman of the TRAN Committee of European Parliament Brian Simpson held a policy debate on the review of the TEN-T trans-European transport network at Gödöllő. The participants of the informal ministerial meeting initiated by the Hungarian Presidency reviewed issues related to transport network planning methodology and financing.
On 27 January 2011, Minister for National Development Dr Tamás Fellegi delivered a lecture at the general meeting of the Association of International Companies in Hungary. The minister familiarised the top executives of international companies with the Government’s economic policy aimed at job creation. Dr Tamás Fellegi confirmed that the Government was committed to the creation of a stable and predictable economic and regulatory environment. He requested co-operation from the participants in the interest of restoring investor confidence in Hungary.
On 26 January 2011, Minister of State for info-communication Dr Zsolt Nyitrai elaborated on the objectives set in this field before the Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE) of the European Parliament in Brussels. The presidency programme is aimed primarily at the improvement of the information society and laying the foundations of a single digital market. Hungary is ready to take an active role in the first Digital Agenda Assembly to be held in June 2011. The standing committee agreed with the priorities set for the field by the Hungarian Presidency.
On 26 January 2011, Minister of National Development Dr Tamás Fellegi expounded the programme of the Hungarian Presidency of the European Union in front of three standing committees of the European Parliament in Brussels. During the hearings, the minister gave account of energy, regional development and climate policy priorities. The European Parliament’s committees supported the programmes compiled in these special fields.
On 25 January 2011, Minister for National Development Dr Tamás Fellegi attended a meeting organised in Bratislava for the energy ministers of the countries of the Visegrád Co-operation (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic). The most significant questions discussed at the meeting convened by the Slovak Presidency of the V4 included the opportunities of guaranteeing the security of energy supply and the North-South Energy Corridor. The meeting was closed by a statement signed by the V4 ministers.
At his Milano stop of the Tour des Capitales series of talks, Minister for National Development Tamás Fellegi held bilateral discussions with Italian Minister of the Economy Paolo Romani on 24 January 2011. Under the auspices of the Hungarian EU Presidency, the participants overviewed the semi-annual priorities of the units reporting to the Hungarian Minister of National Development in the areas of European Union competence.
New Széchenyi Plan road show around the country sets off on 20 January 2911 Top officials have set out from the Ministry of National Development and the National Development Agency to familiarise rural chambers of industry and businesses with the remade development policy at jointly organised programmes.
Further environmental projects will start soon implementation in the framework of the Swiss-Hungarian Co-operation Programme. Support agreements for the two projects were signed on 20 January 2011 in the presence of Hungarian Minister of National Development Dr Tamás Fellegi and Swiss Minister of Economic Affairs Johann Schneider-Ammann. The approximately CHF 11 million contribution may be used for updating environment protection monitoring systems in the near future.
On 14 January 2011, Prime Minister Dr Viktor Orbán, Minister for National Development Dr Tamás Fellegi and Minister of the National Economy Dr György Matolcsy presented the new Széchenyi Plan in Budapest. Numerous politicians and public figures attended the inaugural meeting in Budapest Mariott Hotel along with all business, non-profit, local government and non-government partners, who have contributed to the elaboration of the New Széchenyi Plan with their useful proposals.