- Title: HUNGARY: Official ceremony marks Hungary's EU presidency
- Date: 7th January 2011
- Summary: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (JANUARY 6, 2011) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT IN EVENING LIGHTS DOME OF PARLIAMENT BUILDING CEREMONY STARTING TO FANFARES INSIDE PARLIAMENT DOME FANFARES CEREMONIAL SOLDIERS CARRYING HUNGARIAN HISTORICAL FLAGS CEREMONIAL GUARD HOLDING BELGIAN FLAG BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER, YVES LETERME TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER, YVES LETERME SAYING: "I feel indeed very confident in passing on the patent to Hungary. As I said the Hungarian people have often manifested their attachment to liberty and they have contributed to our European house as we know it today. I feel really sure that at the end of the coming six months the newly found European dynamism will be stronger than ever." DELEGATES LISTENING LETERME HANDING OVER EU FLAG TO HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN / ORBAN RECEIVING FLAG AND FOLDING IT OUT / LETERME AND ORBAN SHAKING HANDS CEREMONIAL GUARD AND DELEGATES ORBAN RECEIVING EU PATENT AND HANDING IT TO CEREMONIAL GUARDS ORBAN TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN SAYING: "We are ready to reorganize Hungary completely within one year. We Hungarians have understood that if we wanted to withstand the competition then we cannot live the way we have lived so far. The Hungarian people are offering up this determination, this energy, belief to the European Union."
- Embargoed: 22nd January 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Hungary, Hungary
- Country: Hungary
- Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA2XYVRR7MECQATB3LCPJU8XFA2
- Story Text: As Hungary officially took over the EU presidency amid ceremonial fanfares and lights on Thursday (January 6), optimism filled the dome of parliament even though some deep shadows have been cast over Hungary's presidency in recent weeks.
Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme handed over the EU flag and patent to Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban.
"I feel indeed very confident in passing on the patent to Hungary. As I said the Hungarian people have often manifested their attachment to liberty and they have contributed to our European house as we know it today. I feel really sure that at the end of the coming six months the newly found European dynamism will be stronger than ever," Leterme said in a speech.
"We are ready to reorganize Hungary completely within one year. We Hungarians have understood that if we wanted to withstand the competition then we cannot live the way we have lived so far. The Hungarian people are offering up this determination, this energy, belief to the European Union," Orban said as in his speech.
But earlier in the day Orban had conceded that he had made a bad start six days into his six-month stewardship of the European Union.
The beginning of any EU presidency, which passes around among the 27 member states for six months at a time, is often fraught, as each administration gets used to having an intense spotlight shone on its organizational skills and policy agenda.
But Hungary has given itself a particularly rough ride.
The passage of a new media law, with potential fines for broadcasters, newspapers and websites that breach a tight set of rules, has been denounced by Germany, France and Britain and is being examined by the EU's executive, the European Commission.
He said on Thursday that Hungary would change its much-criticized media law if the EU wants, but also stated that there was nothing in the law that was not in other EU countries' legislation.
Major foreign companies have complained about new windfall "crisis taxes" targeting the retail, telecoms and energy sectors, and a separate new levy on banks.
Orban has also broken off talks with the International Monetary Fund on a package of loans, launching a set of unorthodox fiscal policy steps to boost growth, while rejecting austerity measures followed by several western EU members.
Orban, who returned to power in April 2010 with his Fidesz party winning a landslide victory at elections, is seen as an uncompromising politician who is willing to go to the wall on issues he believes are crucial to Hungary's national interests. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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