Hargita Hungary's Way Back to Europe

On a Bumpy Road
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-3-8452-7812-4
Verlag: Nomos
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 827 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 227 mm

The author presents a well-documented, comprehensive description of the bumpy road Hungary has travelled and the efforts it has made to achieve EU membership. She not only describes the problems, negotiating techniques, and the role of EU institutions and the big and small EU member states in this process but also evaluates the first years of Hungary’s EU membership including its presidency of the EU. Her ‘insider’ report is based on the experiences she gathered in the planning office at the Economic Research Institute of the Academy of Sciences, as an expert in Hungary’s negotiations with the IMF and as a member of the Hungarian team negotiating the country’s membership of the EU. Her book is a reliable and unique source for all those interested in the history of the change of regime in Hungary and in the everyday functioning of the EU, especially for those striving for EU membership. She reports about the impressions she accumulated in Berlin, Helsinki, Moscow, Washington and Brussels.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hargita, Ágnes

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen Europäische Union, Europapolitik
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Internationale Wirtschaft Volkswirtschaften einzelner Länder und Regionen
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Studien zu einzelnen Ländern und Gebieten

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Cover;1
2; Introduction;26
3; Part I: Preparation for the historical challenges of the future;38
3.1; Chapter I: Professional experience before the great tasks emerge;40
3.1.1; 1. In the Institute for Economic Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences;42
3.1.2; 2. In the National Planning Office;53
3.1.2.1; 2.1 The Planning Office (PO);53
3.1.2.2; 2.2 Desk officer for the Hungarian-GDR economic and trade relations;60
3.1.2.3; 2.3 Desk officer of the Hungarian-Soviet economic and trade relations!;63
3.1.2.4; 2.4 The role of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance;71
3.2; Chapter II: The policy of opening towards the Western world;78
3.2.1; 1. The activity of the new unit is manifold;78
3.2.2; 2. Hungary’s gradual rapprochement to and membership in the international organisations: GATT, IMF, World Bank;80
3.3; Chapter III: IMF course in Washington D. C.;92
3.3.1; 1. Arrival in Washington – the beginning of the course;92
3.3.2; 2. The aim of the course: to provide information on the IMF machinery;99
3.4; Chapter IV: In the “country of silence” as a wife of a diplomat and as employee of the foreign trade representation;108
3.4.1; 1. As a wife of the Ambassador in Helsinki – the tiny secrets of the “Finnish miracle”;108
3.4.2; 2. The victors of defeats – rationality born by history;118
3.4.3; 3. Increasing Hungarian interest for the methods of the “Finnish miracle”;121
3.4.4; 4. Not even the Finnish method can counteract the increasing insolvency of the Soviet Union;127
3.4.5; 5. Finland is preparing in a disciplined manner for the Single European Internal Market programme of the EEC – in Hungary this is not yet on the agenda;129
4; Part II: On the way back to Europe;138
4.1; Chapter V: Changing the political regime and the first steps towards the European Union (1989-1990);140
4.1.1; 1. Prelude to the political changes in Hungary seen through the eyes of an economist and a wife of a diplomat;140
4.1.2; 2. Hungary’s path to opening the Western border;150
4.2; Chapter VI: My “change of regime”. From the National Planning Office into the Ministry of Trade;156
4.3; Chapter VII: Relations between Hungary and the European Communities at the end of the 1980’s;162
4.3.1; 1. The Hungarian-EEC Agreement of 1988;163
4.3.2; 2. The Phare Programme;166
4.3.3; 3. Changes in the international conditions;173
4.3.4; 4. Changes in the office and outside the office;175
4.4; Chapter VIII: Negotiations leading to the Association/Europe Agreement;178
4.4.1; 1. Starting of the association negotiations;178
4.4.2; 2. The substantial differences between the EC and the Hungarian positions at the start;182
4.4.3; 3. The routine of the negotiations;186
4.5; Chapter IX: The content of the Association/Europe Agreement;192
4.5.1; 1. The main elements of the Association Agreement and of the supplementary protocols enlarging and deepening its content;192
4.5.2; 2. The results of the Association Agreement in numbers;199
4.6; Chapter X: The special measures related to free trade: rules of origin, rules of competition, safeguard clauses, and provisions concerning areas outside free trade;202
4.6.1; 1. The preconditions of free trade;202
4.6.2; 2. Provisions for areas outside free trade (the three further freedoms of the internal market, areas of cooperation, political dialogue, institutions of the association);208
4.7; Chapter XI: From initialling of the Agreement to its coming into force;212
4.7.1; Some peculiar cases of asserting national interests in the end game of the negotiations;212
4.7.1.1; 1. ”Small jobs” between closing the negotiations and the entering into force of the Agreement;212
4.7.1.2; 2. Peculiar cases of asserting national interests;215
4.8; Chapter XII: The importance of the Association Agreement. What was at stake at the negotiations?;222
4.9; Chapter XIII: The reception of the Association/Europe Agreement in Hungary. The  first  experience  of implementing  the provisions  in  Hungary.;232
4.9.1; l. The reception of the Agreement by the public;232
4.9.2; 2. My experience regarding the reception of the Association Agreement;234
4.9.3; 3. The “proof of the pudding is in the eating”;238
4.10; Chapter XIV: The European Union and the Eastern enlargement;246
4.10.1; 1. Development of the European integration in the years after the fall of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe;246
4.10.2; 2. Dilemma of the EC: to grant or not to grant the perspective of membership to the Central and Eastern European countries;247
4.10.3; 3. Opportunity for membership in principle is open, but when can it be used?;253
4.11; Chapter XV: Hungary applies for membership;264
4.11.1; 1. Antecedents and preparations;264
4.11.2; 2. Submission of the application for membership to the EU;270
4.12; Chapter XVI: The tribulations of the Association Agreement during the Horn GovernmentThe tribulations of the Association Agreement;274
4.13; Chapter XVII: The adjustment of the Association Agreement;284
4.14; Chapter XVIII: Meeting democracy – my work with the Parliament;290
4.15; Chapter XIX: Institutional changes during the Horn Government;294
4.16; Chapter XX: The speed of the preparation for accession is accelerating;298
4.17; Chapter XXI: Mutual interest is growing;302
4.18; Chapter XXII: My tribulations;308
5; Part III: Hungary’s accession negotiations with the European Union;312
5.1; Chapter XXIII: Starting my work as a diplomat in the “capital” of the EU;314
5.2; Chapter XXIV: The “Answers” given to the “Questionnaire” of the European Commission;320
5.2.1; 1. My participation in answering the EU Questionnaire;320
5.2.2; 2. The Opinion of the European Commission;326
5.2.3; 3. The proposals of the Commission for the 2000-2006 financial perspective and for starting the accession negotiations;330
5.3; Chapter XXV: My work at the Mission;336
5.3.1; 1. The first years;336
5.3.2; 2. Tasks of the Hungarian Secretary of the Association Committee;338
5.3.3; 3. Rationality and politics may override the EU regulations;341
5.4; Chapter XXVI: Hoping to start negotiations as soon as possible and eagerly preparing for it;346
5.4.1; 1. Collecting practical experience and advice from the newly acceded countries;346
5.4.2; 2. Preparatory work for elaboration of positions is speeding up;348
5.5; Chapter XXVII: Starting of the accession negotiations;354
5.5.1; 1. 31 March 1998 – The meeting of ministers opening the Intergovernmental Conferences on the accession of the six countries of the Luxembourg Group;354
5.5.2; 2. The main elements of the positions of the European Union and of the Hungarian Government;359
5.5.3; 3. Changes in the wake of the Hungarian elections in 1998. New tasks at the Mission and in the Secretariat for Integration after the beginning of the negotiations;364
5.5.4; 5. The organisation of the accession negotiations;370
5.6; Chapter XXVIII: The content of the negotiations;374
5.7; Chapter XXIX: The preparatory phase of the negotiations – the screening of the Community acquis;380
5.7.1; The elaboration of the Hungarian position papers for the first chapters of the acquis;380
5.7.1.1; 1. The screening;380
5.7.1.2; 2. The negotiating positions – the “position papers”;382
5.7.1.3; 3. Workshop in the Mission;384
5.7.1.4; 4. The role of the Hungarian press;387
5.8; Chapter XXX: The fora of common thinking;390
5.9; Chapter XXXI: Between hopes and doubts until reaching the goal;394
5.9.1; A short review of the negotiating process;394
5.10; Chapter XXXII: Start of the real negotiations in autumn of 1998 – the first closed Negotiating Chapters;398
5.10.1; 1. The negotiating rounds;398
5.10.1.1; CLOSED CHAPTERS:;400
5.10.1.2; 1.1 Science and Research;400
5.10.1.3; 1.2 Education and Training;401
5.10.1.4; 1.3 Small- and medium-sized enterprises;403
5.10.2; 2. In November 1998 the debut of a new EU “genre”: publication of the first Regular Report and the Summary Evaluation prepared by the European Commission;404
5.11; Chapter XXXIII: The momentum of the negotiations comes to a halt in 1999;410
5.11.1; 1. Does the EU satisfy the criterion of its own preparedness?;410
5.11.2; 2. Virtual moves without substantial results;420
5.11.2.1; 2.1 Telecommunications Policy and Information Technologies;420
5.11.2.2; 2.2 Industrial Policy;421
5.11.2.3; 2.3 Consumers and Health Protection;422
5.11.2.4; 2.4 Statistics;423
5.11.2.5; 2.5 Fisheries;425
5.11.2.6; 2.6 Economic and Monetary Union;425
5.12; Chapter XXXIV: Negotiations in 2000 – a year full of patience and expectations;430
5.12.1; 1. The EU environment of the negotiations;430
5.12.2; 2. The Hungarian-EU ministerial meetings in 2000;436
5.12.3; 3. The chapters closed in 2000;438
5.12.3.1; 3.1 The Common Foreign and Security Policy;439
5.12.3.2; 3.2 Financial Control;440
5.12.3.3; 3.3 Energy;442
5.12.3.4; 3.4 External relations;443
5.12.3.5; 3.5 Social Policy and Employment;444
5.13; Chapter XXXV: Reactions in Hungary;448
5.13.1; 1. “Just look at Spain and Portugal!”;448
5.13.2; 2. “There is life outside the EU too”;449
5.13.3; 3. Doubts of the negotiators;451
5.13.4; 4. Domestic preparation is going on unabated – the pre-accession funds of the EU are opening;452
5.14; Chapter XXXVI: December 2000 – encouraging decisions in Nice;456
5.15; Chapter XXXVII: The negotiations gather momentum;462
5.15.1; 1. The first half of 2001 – the Swedish Presidency;462
5.15.1.1; 1.1 Breakthrough in the process of the accession negotiations – A “Swedish twist” at the Gothenburg European Council;462
5.15.1.2; 1.2 Hungarian aspects of the Swedish Presidency;467
5.15.2; 2. The second half of 2001 – the Belgian Presidency;470
5.15.2.1; 2.1 The Belgian Presidency and the Laeken Declaration;470
5.15.2.2; 2.2 The Hungarian aspects of the Belgian Presidency;473
5.15.2.2.1; 2.2.1 The rounds of the negotiations;473
5.15.2.2.2; 2.2.2 The 2001 Regular Reports and Summary Evaluation;474
5.15.2.2.3; 2.2.3 Peculiar cases in the context of the Regular Reports;476
5.15.2.2.4; 2.2.4 The implementation and further development of the Association Agreement continued to pave our way towards EU membership;478
5.16; Chapter XXXVIII: The chapters closed in 2001;480
5.16.1; 1. Free movement of goods;480
5.16.2; 2. Company law;482
5.16.3; 3. Customs Union;485
5.16.4; 4. Taxation;488
5.16.4.1; 4.1 The most debated two issues were the following:;489
5.16.5; 5. Freedom to provide services;492
5.16.6; 6. Freedom of movement of persons (workers);495
5.16.7; 7. Free movement of capital;502
5.16.8; 8. Environment;508
5.16.9; 9. Justice and home affairs;511
5.16.10; 10. Transport policy;514
5.16.11; 11. Culture and audiovisual policy;515
5.17; Chapter XXXIX: 2002. Approaching the end of the accession negotiations – Parliamentary elections in Hungary.;518
5.17.1; 1. Storm around the Beneš Decrees in February 2002;519
5.17.2; 2. The first half of 2002: Parliamentary elections in Hungary;523
5.18; Chapter XL: The last phase of the negotiations;530
5.18.1; 1. For 2002 three tasks remained to be solved for the accession negotiations;530
5.18.1.1; 1.2 The progress was hindered by the following factors:;533
5.18.2; 2. The Hungarian aspects of the Spanish Presidency;539
5.19; Chapter XLI: The second half of 2002 – The Danish Presidency – The very last phase of the negotiations;542
5.19.1; 1. The first months of the Danish Presidency – waiting for the consensus of the Member States;542
5.19.2; 2. The agreement of the “French-German tandem” finally breaks the deadlock;545
5.19.3; 3. The “rocket” start of the Danish Presidency;547
5.19.4; 4. The Hungarian-EU negotiations in those months;550
5.19.5; 5. The commitment of the Danish Presidency and its reception by the Member States;553
5.20; Chapter XLII: The Copenhagen Summit of the Heads of State and Government – 12-13 December 2002;556
5.20.1; 1. The Summit and the preceeding negotiations;556
5.20.2; 2. The summary of financial results of the accession negotiations;559
5.20.2.1; 2.1 The Hungarian requests and the results achieved:;559
5.21; Chapter XLIII: Some more words about the Danish Presidency and about the role of the small and medium-size Member States;564
5.21.1; 1. The Danish Presidency’s demand for a tough pace of work not only in Brussels but in Copenhagen too;564
5.21.2; 2. The European Parliament in revolt;565
5.21.3; 3. Not only the big Member States can promote the cause of integration in the European Union;567
5.22; Chapter XLIV: Reception of closing the negotiations in Hungary;570
5.22.1; 1. The first reactions;570
5.22.2; 2. Other non-EU financial supports related to the EU membership;574
5.23; Chapter XLV: The negotiating chapters closed in 2002;578
5.23.1; 1. Culture and Audiovisual Policy;578
5.23.2; 2. Regional policy;580
5.23.2.1; 2.1 Content and development of the EU regional policy;580
5.23.2.2; 2.2 The tasks for closing the Chapter on Regional Policy;584
5.23.2.3; 2.3 Closing of the Chapter;587
5.23.3; 3. Agricultural Policy;589
5.23.3.1; 3.1 The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU;589
5.23.3.2; 3.2 The Hungarian-EU negotiations;593
5.23.4; 4. Budgetary Policy, ;597
5.23.5; 5. Competition Policy, ;600
5.23.5.1; 5.1 Legislation on competition in the Union and in Hungary;600
5.23.5.2; 5.2 The accession negotiations;606
5.23.5.3; 5.3 The tribulations related to the subchapter on State Aid Policy;607
5.23.5.4; 5.4 The main stages of the negotiations full of sharp debates;612
5.23.5.4.1; a) Starting positions:;612
5.23.5.5; 5.5 The assessment of the closing of the Chapter on Competition Policy;618
5.23.6; 6. Chapter on Institutions and the Chapter on Others;620
5.24; Chapter XLVI: 2003 – Drafting of the Accession Treaty;622
5.24.1; 1. The first half of 2003 – The Greek Presidency;622
5.24.2; 2. The adoption of the draft of the Accession Treaty and its assent by the EP;623
5.24.2.1; 2.1 Technicalities of the drafting process;623
5.24.2.2; 2.2 Strange intermezzo in the approval procedure of the European Parliament;626
5.24.2.3; 2.3 “The letter of the Eight”;627
5.24.2.4; 2.4 The Accession Treaties ready for signing;629
5.25; Chapter XLVII: Signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003;632
5.25.1; The tasks of Hungary for getting ready for it;632
5.25.1.1; 1. Amendment of the Hungarian Constitution – referendum on accession in Hungary;632
5.25.1.2; 2. The signing;633
5.26; Chapter XLVIII: What has been undertaken – has to be fulfilled;638
5.27; Chapter XLIX: New quality in the EU-Hungary relations: “observer status”;644
5.28; Chapter L: The negotiating team is breaking up;652
5.29; Chapter LI: The European Convention;654
5.30; Chapter LII: Farewell to my Brussels, to my Belgium;662
5.30.1; 1. Brussels – experiences gathered by walking around;663
5.30.2; 2. A glimpse into Belgian history and Hungarian-Belgian relations;668
5.30.3; 3. Popular saints in Belgium, including Elizabeth of Hungary;673
5.30.4; 4. What do Belgians eat and drink?;674
5.30.5; 5. My cultural interests;676
5.30.6; 6. My favourite cities in Belgium and special events;677
5.31; Chapter LIII: The “endgame”: the last months before Hungary’s accession to the EU;680
5.31.1; 1. New institutions, new tasks, new environment;680
5.31.2; 2. Last steps in the preparation for accession – selecting Hungarian representatives for EU institutions;684
5.31.3; 3. Starting day of Hungary’s EU membership – 1 May 2004;691
5.31.4; 4. Establishing the Treaty on a European Constitution;693
6; Part IV: Hungary’s EU membership – from the accession to the “baptism of fire”  ;702
6.1; Chapter LIV: The first period of Hungary’s Union membership – as I saw it;704
6.1.1; 1. The first years of membership: accomplishment of commitments and obligations undertaken by both parties;704
6.1.2; 2. Hungary as a Member State of the Schengen Area;717
6.1.3; 3. Hungary’s reception in the Union;720
6.1.4; 4. The secret(s) of Hungary’s seamless integration;725
6.2; Chapter LV: Hungary’s integration in figures;728
6.2.1; 1. Consolidated account of the EU support provided to Hungary during the first five years of its membership (2004-2009);728
6.2.2; 2. Increase in foreign trade and foreign capital inflow;732
6.2.3; 3. Catching up with more developed Member States;733
6.2.4; 4. Achieving the full freedom of movement of labour;734
6.3; Chapter LVI: Where did Hungary fail, where did it not do everything it should have done? Are the EU and the global world economy to blame for anything?;740
6.3.1; 1. Convergence programmes: EU pressure or help to restore economic equilibrium?;740
6.3.2; 2. Reasons for concerns in Hungary’s agriculture after accession – Could the EU be a part of the solution?;748
6.4; Chapter LVII: Lessons learnt about a “Hungaricum” and a “quasi-Hungaricum”;756
6.4.1; 1. Everybody can drink Tokaji, but who are allowed to produce it? – Tokaji wine is the favourite not only of the consumers, but that of the producers;756
6.4.2; 2. Fight for GMO-free Hungarian maize production;760
6.5; Chapter LVIII: The effect of Hungary’s EU membership on relations with neighbouring countries and Hungarian minorities living in those countries;764
6.6; Chapter LIX: Three milestones in Hungary’s “baptism of fire”;772
6.6.1; 1. The Treaty of Lisbon;773
6.6.2; 2. Hungary as a full member in the establishment of the Financial Framework 2007-2013;784
6.6.3; 3. Hungary’s first EU Presidency: For a strong Europe, unified in diversity676,677 – The first half of 2011;790
6.6.3.1; The Spanish-Belgian-Hungarian EU Presidential Trio;791
6.6.3.2; New tasks for the Presidency;794
6.6.3.3; Hungarian Presidency successfully tackled the challenges;798
6.6.3.3.1; a) Fulfilment of the tasks under the new conditions established by the Treaty of Lisbon;798
6.6.3.3.2; b) Measures to prevent economic and financial crises;799
6.6.3.3.3; c) Energy strategy;802
6.6.3.3.4; d) Roma strategy;802
6.6.3.3.5; e) Danube Strategy;803
6.6.3.3.6; f) Enlargement of the EU;804
6.6.3.3.7; g) Accelerating processes concerning draft legislation pending approval;804
7; Annexes;810
7.1; Biography of the Author;810
8; List of References;818
9; List of Names;826