Viktor Orbán's discussion with foreign journalists
Dátum: 2002-12-06 11:31:00, eredeti URL: http://archiv.fidesz.hu/index.php?Cikk=6322
KCMDB-be feltöltve: 2024-05-04 17:57:02.362578, Feltöltő: fidesz_hu_scraper_v2
During international negotiations, the most important decisions are usually made in the last moments before the expiration of deadlines. Therefore, with the Copenhagen Summit only a few days away, the Hungarian government must be tougher than ever in fighting for more favourable accession conditions, former prime minister Viktor Orbán said on 3 December, as a guest of the press breakfast organised by the Hungarian International Press Association.
According to the recent offer of the EU, Hungary may expect as much support in the first year of membership as in 2003 and may avoid being a net contributor to the common budget. But this was not the target, he said. In the beginning, the European Union would only provide altogether 40 percent of all finances attributed to current members to the newcomers. It is unfair that, on the other hand, the newcomers would be obliged to contribute to the common budget with 100 percent from the moment of accession. This hurts the balance of duties and rights, and the target of the negotations should be the avoidance of this disproportionality.
As regards the direct agricultural payments, Viktor Orbán called attention to the fact that the European Union had previously considered these payments as subsidies/aid, and thus intended to exclude the newcomers from this system, citing cheap productivity as a significant advantage for newcomers and referring to the upward tendency of agricultural prices following the accession. A few months ago, however, the EU changed its mind and now considered the question of direct agricultural payments as a question of competition. That is why the sum could be elevated from zero to 25 percent.The EU has refused to give more money not because the newcomers are "cheaper", but because there are no additional resources to be allocated. In this case, however, there can be no legitimate argument against the newcomers complementing the EU's payments from their national budgets up to the level of 100 percent. (Currently, the EU is considering that the new members could supplement the payments with national support, but only to the level of 40 percent, which is illegitimate, once the principle is accepted.) As this is an issue about the principle and value of competition, Hungary has to be pushing for this solution in a tough manner. Poland's recent firm position regarding the question is welcome.
As to the agricultural quotas, it is widely known that the potential of Hungarian agriculture is much higher than the level at which it is performing at the moment due to the difficult structural transition. It would therefore be unfair to freeze the Hungarian quotas at the current level offered by the EU. This would mean preventing the Hungarian agriculture from improving in those sectors where quotas exist.
As far as the recent four-party consensus on the EU-related amendment of the constitution is concerned, Viktor Orbán said that Hungary would not transfer authorities to the European Union in legal terms, but these authorities would be exercised jointly with the other member states. The amendment does not exceed the level obligatory for membership, namely, allowing for the implementation of the acquis communautaire in Hungary. This solution, applied by 13 current EU-countries, does not imply that the acquis is placed above the Hungarian Constitution, legally speaking. (Theoretically: the acquis can be implemented in Hungary because Hungary allows for it and not because it is superior to the constitution.) The wider context of this issue is the debate on the nature of the European Union: is it a superstate? Fidesz is of the opinion that, due to historical reasons, such a notion is not acceptable for Hungarians. The EU is a unique amalgamation of federalistic and international legal elements and this should remain so.
Answering to questions of domestic political nature and inquisitive about his own future political carreer, Viktor Orbán said that, at present, he was the only politically active ex-prime minister in Hungary who had managed to forge a collaboration on the center-right. This is a political and not a legal position. He has already filled all kinds of legal positions and, therefore, pursues work, rather than position. The goal is an ever-closing union of center-right parties, which has become a current issue, as the re-emergence of the christian democratic (KDNP) and the smallholders (FKGP) parties is under way. An institutional cooperation has to be pursued among the Hungarian center-right forces, foundations of which have already been laid between Fidesz and the christian democrats in setting up joint boards and committees, for instance. As to his own role, it is to be considered that the integration process on the center-right would be easier to accomplish from within or from outside Fidesz. This is a question to which the answer will be given in the following months, he said.