Balint Odor, Hungarian deputy state secretary for European affairs, said the basic principle of their approach will be to promote the EU interest above all else and sort out ongoing issues "by playing the role of honest broker".
Hungary's own vision of Europe will also be reflected during its mandate, Odor said at the opening of the 20th Economic Forum for Central and Eastern Europe in Krynica, Poland, last week (8 September).
"We want to see a strong Union, not a two-speed Europe, by strengthening cohesion and cooperation in Central Europe," Odor explained, expressing his desire for relations between EU institutions to be built upon following changes brought in by the Lisbon Treaty.
According to Odor, more than eighty issues feature in the presidency's priorities. He identified the implementation of the 'Europe 2020' agenda, economic governance and measures leading to more discipline on national budgets and the Stability and Growth Pact as its key chapters.
Hungary takes over the EU presidency on 1 January 2011, when the 'European semester', a cycle of economic policy coordination, is set to be launched.
Recognising the important role that Hungary will play in negotiations over the EU's budget after 2013, Odor stressed that "solidarity and cohesion should be maintained," adding that a common methodology for reaching a compromise will be created so that presidencies will not have to start from scratch in future.
Cooperation between Central European member states in such areas as energy security or infrastructure are also to be addressed during the Hungarian Presidency.
Polish agenda
Janusz Sznajder, advisor to the Polish minister of foreign affairs, stressed that 85% of the work of previous rotating EU presidencies had been on ongoing EU issues, with only 10% on crisis management and 5% on priorities set by the mandate holder.
An adviser to the foreign minister nevertheless identified six general priority areas: the internal market, the Eastern Partnership, energy security and developing an external energy policy, the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the EU's 'financial perspectives' and intellectual property.
Sznajder also expressed Poland's intention to act as a fair moderator in resolving disputes, saying the country "wants to show its ability to work for the Community".
The Polish government will cooperate with NGOs and think-tanks to discuss its priorities in order to "see them through different eyes," he explained.
He added said the Polish presidency would also consult closely with the Hungarian one, build on the integration of the 'Visegrad' countries (Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and help revive cooperation between the 'Weimar triangle' of Germany, France and Poland.
