Hongaars voorzitterschap besteedde veel aandacht aan cultuur (en) - Hoofdinhoud

The most cultured EU acting presidency - this is what many diplomats thought of Hungary in the chair of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2011. Not only has it forwarded motions regarding cultural policy, it has also staged a great number of cultural events abroad and at home. The programme series will be concluded on Midsummer weekend by the Duna (Danube) Party, a three-day fest of various, free events, also coupled with the Long Night of the Museums and Churches as well as an open air pop show, called the Connection Concert. Government speaker Anna Nagy talked to us about the significance of these events.

- What is the balance sheet of Hungary holding the EU acting presidency in the first half of 2011, just a few days before it is concluded?

• - 

  Hungary is not a very big country, and it has not joined the European Union so long ago, and Hungary went through a change of government just in the run-up to the presidency. For these reasons Hungary was not in a particularly favourable position when it took over the acting presidency. And it only added to the difficulties that just at the start of the acting presidency there was a huge storm about the new media law in Hungary. In the first few weeks no one wanted to recognise, that the Hungarian acting presidency had prepared a number of serious motions. At some occasions they wanted to talk to us about the media law exclusively. But then work has started, and I think everybody did what they were supposed to do, or even more than that. Now, as we are nearing the end of the presidency, we are getting clear signals, which really only have praise for this country. Though it is not a very big country, has not been a member of the EU for a very long time, and its government did not have a lot of time on their hand to prepare for the presidency. I think this is clearly a great success. Looking at it from the point of view of the European Union, Hungary has achieved something really important. A six-month period of holding the acting presidency can contribute a lot to getting to know the European Union deeper. The EU for many people is still a distant, abstract notion, they would say it must be good for some things, just they do not exactly know for what. That is why the period of the last six months did not only provide a chance for Hungary to be seen in Brussels, but also for the European Union to come closer to the people in Hungary. For instance the people in the administration, who work together with Brussels, or in various other fields of life, get a chance to look into the underlying processes. They get to learn what ways the most effective co-operation with Brussels are to communicate most effectively. I think that the first half of the year was very useful, and I am sure I am not being partial when I say that the Hungarian acting presidency was successful.

- What were the reasons for choosing culture, more particularly the international aspects of Hungarian culture to be a high priority of the agenda of the Hungarian acting presidency?

• - 

  Only a handful of people, those who are involved with it every day get to see what the results of EU negotiations are, for instance how the process of accession talks with candidate countries proceed. In case a country wants to utilise the attention it receives not only in the field of politics, but also for the whole of the country, than culture is best area to achieve this at. Nothing is more suitable to show what the essence of a country is, than what it has created, the beauties, the values that make up our heritage, our history, our culture. So I think culture is the best, and probably the only means of bringing the people closer together. The Hungarian presidency has set just that as an important goal, besides having tabled motions towards a common Danube strategy, a Roma strategy, and actively pushing the accession talks. I think Hungary was able to grasp this opportunity and make the best of it.

- Mentioning the Danube strategy brings us to the venues of the Duna (Danube) Party, a free festival on 24-26 June, held all over the city, also on the dam Kopaszi, where we met. Why did you choose the Danube as the symbol and title of the concluding cultural festival of the EU presidency?

• - 

  Would I have to choose a symbol summarising the acting EU presidency, I did not have to search for long, the Danube is the most suitable. It links the countries and nations geographically, is very meaningful to everybody, as the ten countries which are linked by the Danube, have all developed some kind of a relation to it, economically, touristically, or from the point of view of environment protection. This a sort of an experience, that has really shaped the people who have always lived alongside the river, and know that it is a part of their life. I think, if we needed just one symbol to describe the European Union, the Danube would be the best choice.