Event report

On 12th of October 2021, the French Secretary of State for Europe made a visit in Budapest. During the visit, he met with university students and gave a lecture at the National University of Public Administration. The event was partly organized by Gergely Fejérdy, senior research fellow at IFAT. He was also the moderator of this meeting. The Secretary of State was greeted by András Koltay, Rector of the University and Gergely Prőhle, Director of the University’s Institute of Strategy. The French guest presented the main guidelines and plans of the presidency of the Council of the European Union from January 2022. The speech given by the French Secretary of State was organized around three words: “restart, power, and belonging”. He emphasized, among other things, the need for a new European model based on cooperation. He said the European Continent is going through several crises, such as health and the economy, but the 27’s response has been better in 2020 than before. Vaccination has been Europe’s response to the health crisis, making us the most protected continent. The secretary of state said that the economic crisis has given rise to a “recovery plan” and an EU budget that puts solidarity at the forefront. He underlined that a new chapter in the construction of Europe was beginning, with many challenges for young people starting their careers in public administration. The Secretary of State stated: Europe is not a federation, not a super state, but a “political plan” based on common values, in this respect there is no Western and Central or Eastern Europe, because “together we are Europeans”, national differences to common values they are in relation to. Clément Beaune emphasized that the French presidency also plans to take another step towards belonging. In connection with the presentation, János Martonyi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Honorary President of the Institute for Strategic Studies, gave some reflexions on the renewal of the European integration process. The event also provided an opportunity to ask questions that many students have used.