A year from now, Hungary must already stand prepared to take over the European Union’s presidency in the first half of 2011, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs said at a forum on Monday.
The Economic and Social council of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which helps strategic planning for the presidency, met to discuss progress on the preparations.
Hungary should take its EU integration and interest-coordination to the next level in 2011, which marks its seventh year in the EU, Balazs said. He added that if the Lisbon Treaty comes into effect, a constitutional process may come to an end, but added that Hungary is prepared for a scenario where the Treaty is reviewed during its presidency.
A lot depends on preparing for unpredictable events and contingencies, he added.
Balazs added that preparations of the Spain-Belgium-Hungary troika presidency were “exemplary” and that by the autumn, each country will formulate its own priorities for its six-month presidency period. Preparations of Hungary’s own diplomatic staff is well under way with 85 percent of staff already selected and are undergoing training.
Following Slovenia’s example, Hungary will hold most of the presidency-related conferences and meetings in one central location, in Budapest, Balazs added.
