Hungarian position on the future of the EU

Resolution 32/2022 (VII. 19.) of the National Assembly of Hungary on the Hungarian position on the future of the European Union*

1. There is an armed conflict in Hungary’s immediate neighbourhood. The economic impact of the war and its security challenges are directly affecting the Hungarian people. The international community’s ill-considered sanctions against Russia further complicate the situation of our country and our citizens. Europe has entered a new era of crisis and uncertainty.
2. The institutions of the European Union have launched a Conference on the future of Europe. The mission of the recently concluded event was to assess what EU citizens saw as the most significant challenges ahead and how the European Union can prepare for them.
3. The National Assembly regrets that instead of an open and democratic dialogue and by excluding a significant part of citizens’ contributions, the Conference has become a servant of the political and ideological ambitions of forces interested in eroding Member States’ sovereignty and increasing the power of the EU bureaucracy.
4. At the same time, the National Assembly welcomes the fact that Hungarian citizens participated in the events of the Conference with a level of activity far superior to the European average. The National Assembly supports the opinion of the Hungarian people that the European Union must change because it is unprepared for the challenges of our times.
5. The last decade’s experience shows that only strong and capable Member States can protect their citizens. The European Union is responsible for supporting its Member States in managing crises effectively.
6. However, the current treaty framework of the European Union is not a suitable basis for cooperation in times of crisis. The National Assembly considers it necessary to review the EU Treaties as follows.
   • The objective of “an ever-closer union” should be deleted from the Treaties. Integration is not an end but a means to an end: a means to fulfil our national freedom.
   • Europe’s Christian roots and culture constitute the basis of European integration, which serves as a moral compass in an era of uncertainty. The Treaties must reflect this principle.
   • The political and ideological neutrality of the European Commission must be clearly enshrined in the Treaties.
   • The powers that can be exercised through the European Union institutions should be reviewed and set out in a detailed catalogue in the spirit of the subsidiarity principle.
   • Europe must be able to defend itself. Its defence capabilities and underlying industrial capacities must be strengthened, and a joint European army must be set up as the guarantor of European security.
   • Europe must protect present and future generations of Europeans. Addressing the demographic challenge and supporting families must be an EU objective in the Treaties.
   • The right of all peoples to choose who they want to live together with in their own country must be guaranteed at the Treaty level.
   • Responsibility for future generations also means that the financial burden of our choices cannot be passed on to our children and grandchildren. The Treaties must include a ban on further increasing EU indebtedness.
   • European democracy must be led out of the cul-de-sac the European Parliament has steered it into. Members of the European Parliament must be delegated by national parliaments, thus ensuring actual political legitimacy.
   • National parliaments must be able to block unwanted EU legislation, and national governments and parliaments must be able to initiate EU legislative procedures.
   • Indigenous national minorities living in the European Union must be protected and supported by the Treaty.
   • The Treaties should explicitly strengthen the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries.
7. The National Assembly calls on the Government to represent the above position during the follow-up to the Conference.
8. Furthermore, the National Assembly calls on the Government to forward this resolution to the Presidents of the European Council, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union as the National Assembly’s position on the future of Europe.
9. This Resolution shall enter into force on the day following its publication.