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Dr Bern\u00e1t T\u00f6r\u00f6k PHOTO: Tam\u00e1s Gyurkovits\/Hungarian Conservative<\/p>\nIt has been nearly two years since Hungary held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Hungarian presidency lasted from 1 July to 31 December 2024, marking only the second time in the country\u2019s history that it took on the role, following its first presidency in 2011.<\/p>\n
To commemorate the occasion, Ludovika University Press published a three-part book series on the subject titled The 2024 Hungarian EU Presidency. The final volume was recently released. To celebrate the launch, the Ludovika University of Public Service hosted a book launch event at its Budapest campus on Friday, 19 June.<\/p>\n
Dr Bern\u00e1t T\u00f6r\u00f6k, Director of the J\u00f3zsef E\u00f6tv\u00f6s Research Centre, welcomed guests with opening remarks. He noted that books occupy a \u2018league of their own\u2019 among the publications issued by the university press, making the release of each volume a special occasion worthy of celebration. He added that the event also served as a celebration of Hungary\u2019s membership in the European Union and of its presidency of the Council of the EU.<\/p>\n
Dr Bern\u00e1t T\u00f6r\u00f6k PHOTO: Tam\u00e1s Gyurkovits\/Hungarian Conservative<\/p>\n
Dr T\u00f6r\u00f6k stressed that while fierce debates are often had about Hungary\u2019s relationship with the European Union, it has consistently been the prevailing position of his research centre that EU membership is overall beneficial for the country. He also praised the book for making a rational and constructive contribution to that ongoing discussion.<\/p>\n
Following his remarks, a panel of experts took to the stage to discuss the Hungarian presidency and its broader context. The panel featured Dr Tibor Navracsics, former Minister for Regional Development and Docent at E\u00f6tv\u00f6s Lor\u00e1nd University Faculty of Law; Dr G\u00e1bor Kutasi, Head of the Department of Economics and International Economics at Ludovika University; and Csaba Zalai, Professor of Public Service at Ludovika University. The discussion was moderated by Vivien Kalas-Pesztericz, Head of the Ludovika Europe Strategy Research Institute.<\/p>\n
Mr Kutasi opened the panel by arguing that, by the time Hungary assumed the presidency in 2024, several negative trends had already converged within the European Union, leading to a \u2018period of failure\u2019. He elaborated that the EU\u2019s share of global economic output had fallen to roughly half that of the United States, while its innovation performance had similarly lagged behind. As a consequence, he argued, the Union\u2019s global influence had diminished significantly.<\/p>\n
Mr Zalai described the period of the Hungarian presidency as \u2018the calm before the storm\u2019. He pointed out that 2024 was a \u2018super election year\u2019, with approximately 3.7 billion people taking to the polls around the world. These elections included the European Parliament elections, the Russian presidential election, the Indian parliamentary election, and\u2014the most consequential of all\u2014the US presidential election.<\/p>\n
The speaker also referenced the Draghi Report, the 2024 analysis of the European Union\u2019s economic competitiveness authored by Former Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy. According to Zalai\u2019s summary, the report identified three pillars underpinning Europe\u2019s economic strength: access to cheap Russian energy, the protection provided by American military power, and China\u2019s relatively cooperative attitude towards the EU. In recent years, however, all three pillars have weakened, he pointed out, due to the loss of Russian energy imports following the Russo-Ukrainian War, growing American reluctance to spend on collective NATO defence, and the increasingly assertive posture of the Chinese communist regime.<\/p>\n
Mr Navracsics told the audience that, by the time Hungary assumed the rotating presidency in 2024, confidence in the country had already eroded among a number of major EU Member States. He also argued that the Union had by then endured three major\u2019plagues\u2019: the uErozone crisis of 2009, Brexit in 2016, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.<\/p>\n
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Dr G\u00e1bor Kutasi, Csaba Zalai, Dr Tibor Navracsics, and Vivien Kalas-Pesztericz (L-R) PHOTO: Tam\u00e1s Gyurkovits\/Hungarian Conservative<\/p>\n
The former minister further noted that 2024 represented a period of institutional transition within the EU, with a new European Parliament being elected and a broader leadership cycle change taking place across the Union\u2019s institutions. During this transitional period, he argued, Hungary\u2019s role as Council president was primarily that of a mediator, providing the necessary infrastructure and framework for the Union\u2019s continued operation.<\/p>\n
Mr Navracsics also went on to share that the net contributors had already begun to question the investment strategy of providing cohesion funds to the less developed regions of the European single market.<\/p>\n
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