Minister Bettel Exchanges with Hungarian Civil Society Ahead of EU Meeting

Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, participated in the informal meeting of the EU General Affairs Council (GAC) in Budapest, Hungary on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 September 2024.

As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Minister Bettel and his Benelux and Irish counterparts took part in a meeting ahead of the GAC with representatives of Hungarian civil society working in the fields of corruption (Transparency International), freedom of the press (Média Mérték Monitor), asylum (Hungarian Helsinki Committee) and LGBTIQ+ rights (Háttér Society). This meeting allowed Minister Bettel to inquire about the latest developments regarding respect for the rule of law and human rights in Hungary. Minister Bettel later had a bilateral meeting with the Hungarian Minister for EU Affairs, János Bóka.

The ministry recalled that Minister Bettel chose to participate in the informal meeting, organised by the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in Budapest, in order to raise directly with the Hungarian side the fundamental political disagreements that exist on certain European and international issues.

The informal meeting of the GAC was divided into several working sessions dedicated to strengthening the competitiveness of the European Union. Minister Bettel participated in a discussion group entitled "Strengthening our competitiveness: combating labour shortages and demographic challenges; promoting innovation through investment in research, education and skills".

He stressed the vital importance of the internal market: "The EU must ensure that it is ready to face a future marked by an increasingly complicated international environment. We need coherent, clear and harmonised regulation at European level. Such a strengthening of the internal market will benefit all Member States."