Hungarian veto thwarts worldwide cooperation

The Hungarian government led by Viktor Orbán prevented worldwide cooperation. The 42nd Joint Parliamentary Assembly of the African, Caribbean, Pacific (ACP) and the EU, which lasted three days, ended in Maputo, Mozambique.

Crisis management at the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

The assembly debated and sought common solutions to global crises such as climate change, pandemics, terrorism, poverty and human rights.

According to a statement obtained by hvg.hu eurologist, the assembly will be remembered for the Orbán government. A widespread call was made for the Hungarian government to finally lift its veto on the approval of the post-Cotonou ACP-EU agreement.

This agreement is a strategic pact between the EU and the 79 countries concerned. It would replace the previous 20-year agreement with a new one, which would be valid again for two decades. The previous treaty expired and was provisionally extended.

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Hungarian veto

The Hungarian government has not approved the proposal because they believe it would increase migration. The essence of the convention is that it includes cooperation in a very wide range of areas, which are vital to keeping relations on the necessary track.

The signatories to the convention undertake to fight illegal immigration and to readmit their own citizens. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said a year ago that “the agreement with Africa should not be for Africans to come to Europe, but for Africans to stay in Africa.”

In the absence of an agreement, the ACP is being postponed further and further, rtl.hu reports. The co-chair of the recently concluded assembly, Socialist MEP Carlos Zorrinho, said: “Multilateralism between equals is the only concrete way forward in these dark times when nationalism, war and mistrust seem to reign on the international scene. The ACP-EU JPA is a beacon that must be preserved and strengthened. It is time for the Orban government to lift its veto and give this crucial Assembly the opportunity to move forward.”

Viktor Orbán and the Hungarian government have not commented on the case.

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Source: rtl.hu, hvg.hu