Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU
03 January 2011 News"Bulgaria will meet the Schengen criteria, and there shouldn’t be any obstacles to the accession of the country during the Hungarian Presidency. This is also among its objectives . ", said the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov in Budapest a month before Hungary took on the Council.
Hungary will take the rotational presidency for the first time between January 1 and June 30 this year. The country bears tremendous responsibility, as on the EU agenda for the first half of 2011 are significant matters associated with the future of European integration.
To achieve greater efficiency in performing the tasks facing the Union, the Hungarian Presidency will focus on four priority themes:
- Economic growth and employment for preserving the European social model: support for small and medium enterprises, creation of jobs, stimulating economic growth, fighting poverty, Roma integration;
- A Stronger Europe: focus on three critical elements for the future of next generations - food, energy and water. The emphasis will be on sectoral policies. The construction of a strategy for the development of the Danube region has also been envisaged .
- EU closer to its citizens: observance of the Stockholm program will continue, support for the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area, the protection of human rights, preservation of cultural diversity;
- Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy: focus on the European perspective of the Western Balkans, support for the accession of Croatia in the first half of 2011, and reinforcement of the Neighborhood Policy’s Eastern dimension .
In the center of the Hungarian presidency’s political agenda is the human factor. Whether it comes to economic issues in sectoral policies or to issues of enlargement, the Hungarian Presidency will focus on the fact that at the heart of sustainable development is the human. In their view, Europe could be great and strong solely because of its citizens and their creative potential.
You can read more about the program of the Hungarian presidency on : www.eu2011.hu.