After weeks of negotiations, the Hungarian government has received the expected guarantees regarding the agreement between the European Union and the group comprising 79 African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries. Hungary has therefore agreed to sign the agreement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on Wednesday in Mauritius.
The minister, during a joint press conference with his local colleague, Alan Ganoó, reported that although this is the first-ever ministerial meeting between the two countries, and thus it is a diplomatically historical event, the importance of the visit lies in the fact that Mauritius currently holds the presidency of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group (ACP) Ministerial Council. He emphasised that in accordance with the decision of the Hungarian National Assembly, the government had not consented to the signing of the agreement until it received certain guarantees, which it managed to obtain during negotiations in recent weeks. As a result of the compromise reached, all decisions concerning migration and labour market issues will remain within national purview, and the Hungarian measures to protect children against forced LGBTQ propaganda will also stay uncompromised.
Economic Cooperation Important, But Red Lines Remain Regarding Migration and Sexual Rights
He reiterated that the so-called post-Cotonou agreement, planned between the European Union and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group, has three pillars: economic cooperation, migration, and other issues, such as sexual rights. ‘Hungary clearly agrees that economic cooperation should be tightened, which would be beneficial for both parties, especially nowadays when the world is moving towards the formation of blocs again,’ he said, adding that, regarding the issue of migration and sexual rights, the government has serious doubts and red lines.
He highlighted that the government considers migration a dangerous phenomenon that must be stopped, rather than managed, and that it poses serious security risks to the EU. He said that a good example of this is that Hungarian authorities registered as many as 250,000 attempts at illegal border crossings last year. ‘We will never give up our sovereign right to decide who we let into the country and who we do not, and who we are willing to live with and who we are not,’ he emphasised. Furthermore, he stated that the government rejects ‘aggressive LGBTQ propaganda,’ considers sexual education the exclusive right of parents, and does not compromise on protecting children.
Szijjártó announced that based on the agreement reached, the EU Council decision will be amended, making it clear that the post-Cotonou agreement has no impact on national competencies regarding migration and sexual education, meaning that regardless of the signing, all decisions in these areas will remain within national competence.
An agreement has been reached that the document will also contain a so-called negative list of issues that do not infringe on national competence, such as regulations regarding the labour market and social integration. It will continue to be up to the member states to decide how many foreign workers they allow into their labour markets and to what extent they integrate them into society, Péter Szijjártó remarked.
‘Since all decisions regarding migration and sexual education, as well as the employment and integration of foreigners, remain within national competence and there are no legal obligations imposed on Hungary regarding sexual rights, we believe that we have met the expectations of the Hungarian National Assembly with the results achieved in recent weeks, and therefore we can give our consent to the EU for the signing of the post-Cotonou agreement,’ Szijjártó summarised.
Finally, the minister also mentioned that he and his counterpart discussed bilateral issues, such as extending higher education cooperation to Mauritius, allowing the East African island nation to send fifteen students with scholarships to Hungarian universities each year. He noted that Mauritius is extremely popular among Hungarians, with more than three thousand tourists having visited the country in just the first quarter of this year, which is already a good reason to continue cooperation. In addition, cooperation is also underway in areas such as water management and environmental protection.
