On Monday Parliament approved Hungary’s membership of the new EU Fiscal Compact, by adopting a proposal from Minister of Foreign Affairs János Martonyi. The content of the Compact was agreed by EU heads of state and government, and the treaty related to it will be signed by leaders of participating Member States at a session of the European Council on 1-2 March. The Compact will come into force on 1 January 2013.
On 20 February Foreign Minister János Martonyi consulted with the delegation of the Venice Commission. In their conversation the parties discussed the legislative intent and background behind the cardinal laws regulating churches and courts, and exchanged views on the legal and professional concerns as well as on the critical comments concerning these laws.
At the meeting of its Assembly on 31 January 2012, the African Union elected Boni Yayi, President of the Republic of Benin as its new Chairperson.
"The government will continue to help the townships affected by the red sludge disaster even now that remediation has been completed" – said Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas in Devecser at the press conference following the tour of the restored areas.
Tamás Iván Kovács Deputy State Secretary for European Union and International Affairs outlined Hungary’s position in issues related to European energy infrastructure development and energy efficiency improvement at the European Union’s Transport, Telecommunication and Energy Council meeting held on 14 February, 2012 in Brussels.
The Minister of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will visit Hungary in the near future – this was one of the agreements concluded between Endre Kardeván and Dr. Fahd Bin Abdulrahman Balghunaimmal during their meeting in Riyadh. At another important meeting, the State Secretary for Food Chain Control Supervision of the Ministry of Rural Development discussed what criteria Hungarian business must meet in order to export their food products to Saudi Arabia.
The Hungarian Government submitted to the European Commission today, within the requested deadline, its responses in the three infringement procedures initiated in January (the independence of the Hungarian National Bank and of the National Data Protection Authority and the mandatory retirement age for judges) and also to the two additional questions raised by the European Commission (concerning the functioning of the judiciary and the situation of the media).
Hungary's Institute of Public Administration has published a volume of commentaries by legal experts to Hungary's new constitution in English, state secretary for justice Bence Retvari said at the book's presentation at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on Friday.
The Ministry of Public Administration and Justice, the Municipality of Budapest and the organisers of the movement One Million for the Freedom of Press in Hungary have come to an agreement on the use of public spaces for events taking place on 15 March, one of the most important national holidays in Hungary.
Agriculture played a decisive role in a higher than expected 1.4% rise in the Hungarian GDP in the last quarter of 2011. The output of the Hungarian economy increased by 1.7% in 2011, more than both the European Union average of 1.6% and the eurozone average of 1.5%.
"The nature conservation and game management sectors had come to a historical agreement, which has been accepted by state and non-governmental representatives of both areas" – said Zsolt Semjén during his opening speech at the 19th Fishing, Hunting and Arms International Exhibition (FeHoVa), held at the Budapest exhibition centre Hungexpo.
The common road we have walked down with the faraway Japan shows that it is worth meeting each other, and it is worth working together in the spirit of recognition and mutual respect”, stressed Dr. Csaba Hende. The Defence Minister opened the day of Japanese culture in the MoD Military History Institute and Museum on February 11, which has been the first stage in the new program series aimed at introducing foreign cultures.
The Chief of Police of Baghlan Province recently submitted an unusual request. Gen. Asadullah Sherzad requested the HDF Provincial Reconstruction Team (HUN PRT) to help the reintegration of former insurgents into society.
"Hungarian foods of exceptional quality are highly competitive in Russia" – said Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas, rounding up his experiences on the first day of his visit to Moscow.
The National Energy Strategy 2030 was published by the Ministry of National Development. As from 14 February 2012, the document is also available in an electronic format in Hungarian and English on the Government’s website.
Interior Minister Sándor Pintér gave presentation on the necessity and methods of defence against cybercrime at the 15th European Police Congress on Tuesday in Berlin organized by the Behörden Spiegel, Germany’s newspaper for public authorities.
Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas and State Secretary for Food Chain Control Supervision and Agricultural Administration Endre Kardeván both attended one of the most important international agricultural trade fairs held in Moscow. Hungary was represented by its own national pavilion and by thirteen companies. During the exhibition, Sándor Fazekas will hold talks with the Russian Deputy Minister of Agriculture.
On the first day of the spring parliamentary session Prime Minister Viktor Orbán urged the National Assembly to adopt the European Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union, and also stressed that the future of Hungary is within the European Union.
Representing Hungary, Minister of State for Climate Change and Energy Pál Kovács addressed the informal discussion of the European Union’s energy ministers, held on nuclear energy in Paris on 10 February 2012. The heads responsible for this specialisation in the Member States discussed energy policy challenges, and the appropriate ratio and sustainability of nuclear energy.
On 7 February 2012 János Martonyi negotiated with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Berlin about current issues of the European Union, the Middle East, and Hungarian-German bilateral relations. On the invitation of his German counterpart, the Hungarian Foreign minister arrived in Germany for a two-day visit to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Hungary on Friendly Cooperation and Partnership in Europe.