8 October 2024

In the framework of the parliamentary cooperation of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Hungarian National Assembly organised the Interparliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union (SECG) on 3-4 October 2024. At the event held in the House of the Parliament members of parliaments from 22 EU Member States, from the European Parliament, and from 8 EU candidates and a potential candidate, as observers, participated. Zoltán Tessely, Chair of the Committee on European Affairs, Zoltán Vajda Chair of the Committee on the Budget and Péter Cseresnyés, Vice Chair of the Committee on Economics of the Hungarian National Assembly co-hosted the conference.

In his welcoming address János Latorcai, Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly highlighted that Europe's competitiveness is the key to Europe's common future. However, the EU's competitiveness is rapidly deteriorating and effective reforms are needed to prevent the Union's economic and political relevance from being undermined.

Péter Cseresnyés gave a keynote speech under the agenda item about the emergence of electric cars in the European Union and spoke about the challenges for European competitiveness and identified transport as an important area for joint action. He stressed the economic importance of the European automotive industry. Máté Lóga, State Secretary of the Ministry of the National Economy of Hungary said that maintaining the green turnaround and competitiveness at the same time is an important challenge. He found it essential that European decision-makers formulate their sustainability policies in a fact-based and non-ideological way. He added: Hungary's aim is to create synergies between technology from Western and Eastern countries, and electric vehicles play an important role in this. According to Péter Kaderják, Managing Director of the Hungarian Battery Association electric cars have a very strong positive vision and their climate benefits are unquestionable. He urged to make electric cars attractive to European citizens.

As presiding chair of the agenda item on the reform of the economic governance framework Zoltán Vajda spoke, among others, about the challenges of maintaining fiscal discipline, such as economic shocks, political pressures and forecasting errors. He called for a commitment by member states to the objectives of the Stability and Growth Pact. Péter Benő Banai, State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance highlighted Hungary's rules to maintain budgetary discipline, which are also strict by EU standards. Balázs Romhányi, Director of the Fiscal Responsibility Institute – a non-governmental organisation – citing the results of an open budget survey carried out in some 110-130 countries, found that parliamentary scrutiny of budgets has declined over the past 8 years.

According to Zoltán Tessely, presiding chair of the agenda point about the impact of the EU budget for cohesion policy on the multiannual financial framework cohesion funds are not hand-outs, but a rightful entitlement of Member States under the EU Treaties. He presented the developments realised in municipalities, in the framework of the so-called Heart of Pannonia programme, thanks to cohesion and national funds. Tibor Navracsics, Minister for Public Administration and Regional Development of Hungary highlighted the Hungarian presidency's aim to respond to demographic challenges within the framework of cohesion policy. He called for cohesion policy to be strengthened as a pragmatic EU policy in order to make the whole European Union stronger and more competitive. He stressed the importance of simplification, flexibility, subsidiarity and partnership. Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms welcomed the participants of the conference by video message.

More information on the conference can be found here.