Organised by the Hungarian EU Presidency, the 56th meeting of EUPAN – the European network of directors general responsible for public administration in the European Union – was held in Gödöllő on 23-24 June 2011. It was also attended by representatives of Trade Unions’ National and European administration Delegation (TUNED).
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 Ministry of National Development informs the railway undertakings that in the year 2011 – based on the contract between the Ministry and MAV Co. – there is a possibility for railway undertakings operating „rolling motorway” (Ro-La) freight transport to apply for subsidy according to the following conditions.
“Our aim is to establish a police service that is prepared to manage ethnic conflicts” – said Interior Minister Sándor Pintér at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) at the Opening Ceremony of the “Best practices in Multicultural Policing” two-day long international seminar.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán considers the bilateral meetings with Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier to an extraordinary success, marking a milestone in Chinese-Hungarian relations. The Chinese Premier, who came for a two-day visit to Hungary, had talks with the Hungarian Prime Minister on Saturday in the Parliament Building.
Stable agricultural markets and predictable prices are in the interests of both the EU and Hungary - said Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas, summarising the discussions held during the meeting of the Agricultural Ministers of the G20 nations in Paris.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appreciates that the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe welcomes the fact that the new Hungarian Constitution establishes a constitutional order based on democracy, the rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights as underlying principles.
The Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union adopted the Budapest Roadmap for victim protection on 10 June. The Roadmap creates the possibility for Europe-wide protection of victims.
The parties attending the plenary session of the Hungarian-Chinese Joint Economic Committee in Hungarian Parliament on 22 June 2011 discussed new initiatives with the aim of expanding and intensifying bilateral business and trade cooperation. With the Hungarian party led by of National Development and Government Commissioner for Hungarian-Chinese Economic Relations Tamás Fellegi, the intergovernmental talks focused on air transport, research and development, environment protection, the application of water purification technologies, cooperation options in car industry and the specification of mutual investment projects.
Although the end of the Hungarian Presidency is approaching, work on EU affairs goes on, with the Polish partners soon to get into the focus, Minister of State for Infocommunication Zsolt Nyitrai said at the Telecommunication and Information Society Dossiers delivery ceremony on 22 June 2011 in Eger. The Polish Presidency was represented by Undersecretaries of State Magdalena Gaj and Piotr Kołodziejczyk.
Hungary is to sign the Nagoya Protocol in New York on behalf of the European Union. The worldwide treaty will be jointly signed by Hungary and the EU's Ambassador in New York. In addition to Hungary, the globally valid agreement on access to genetic resources and the profits arising from these will be signed by a further eight EU Member States.
Member States have voted to support the compromise on the labelling of foods that has been agreed between the Hungarian Presidency and the European Parliament. The goal of the new measures is to make it easier for consumers to recognise and decide which foodstuffs are healthier. The new EU regulation on the labelling of food products will be adopted at the plenary meeting of the European Parliament on July 5.
The goal of the conservation project, realised within the territory of the Danube-Dráva National Park with World Bank assistance, is the reduction of the nutrient load of the Danube and the Black Sea. As a result of the project, ordered by the South Transdanubian Environment Protection and Water Management Directorate, the aquatic habitats of the Gemenc and Béda-Karapancsa areas, which were seriously endangered by lasting dryness, are coming to life once again.
Viewpoints on the global climate protection system moved closer in Bonn at the two-week UN Conference held with the participation of some 3500 representatives of more than 190 countries. During the marathon series of negotiations closed on 17 June 2011, the Hungarian Presidency made remarkable efforts at preserving the Kyoto quota assets.
The final meeting of the Environmental Council to take place during the Hungarian Presidency was held on June 21. As a result of the successful work of the Presidency and in accordance with our plans, Europe has made significant progress in several important areas within the field of environmental protection.
The United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODC) in cooperation with the Hungarian Government and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) held a seminar in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 17 June 2011. The theme of the event was the exchange of international and regional experience concerning the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Strategy; the seminar focused on the Central Asian and African regions.
The energy ministers of the EU adopted Council conclusions at their meeting chaired by Minister for National Development Tamás Fellegi, held in Luxembourg on 10 June 2011 to review the Energy Efficiency Action Plan. The Energy Council was informed of the progress made during the Hungarian Presidency in the negotiations on the draft regulation about the transparency of wholesale energy markets.
Tibor Navracsics's exposé az the European Research Council, ERC conferenci in Budapest.
Seminar on Promoting Awareness of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and Efforts Made to Implement the Strategy at the National, Regional and International Levels organized by the UNODC and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Hungary.
‘It is the common goal of us all that there should be public administration which befriends citizens,’ said Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Justice on Tuesday at the presentation of the Zoltán Magyary Programme for the development of public administration.
The Hungarian Ministry of Defence and the Zrínyi Miklós National Defence University, in co-operation with the European Security and Defence College organised the 4th module of the 6th ESDC High Level Course, on 6-10 June 2011 in Budapest. The module was opened by the Minister of Defence, Csaba Hende.
In a resolution, the government has given the minister for national development, who is also responsible for the supervision of public assets, the green light to exercise an option to sell the government's minority shares in Budapest Airport Zrt. through the Hungarian State Holding Company (MNV Zrt.).
The EU-US Workshop on Terrorist Financing was held under the Hungarian Presidency in Budapest on June 6-7, 2011. The Workshop was opened by Roland Nátrán, Deputy State Secretary, Ministry for National Economy of Hungary and US Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis. Both the US Ambassador and the Deputy State Secretary emphasized the importance of EU-US cooperation in counteracting terrorism financing and highlighted the useful tradition of the annual EU-US Workshops.
‘We can be justly proud to have had such a scholar as Zoltán Magyary, who can still give us good guidance,’ said András Levente Gál in Tata, at a wreath-laying ceremony at Zoltán Magyary’s statue on Thursday.
As a sine qua non for the future of Hungary, everybody who can and will work should have a job. This is why a more simple and flexible employment legislation is necessary including particularly the rules on working time and fixed-term or temporary employment. Such an amendment is also one of the elements of the measures aimed at cutting red tape for employers.