(via interpreter): Chairman, I thank you, the other distinguished former lord mayors of Dublin, and the other members of the committee for giving us the opportunity to meet another important committee of the Irish Parliament to discuss issues of European accession. Before I begin my answers, let me mention that the delegation has been formed of representatives of all four political groups in the Hungarian Parliament. I have felt it important to mention this in advance because on the issue of our accession to the European Union there are no differences of opinion among the major political groups represented in the Parliament and there are no significant political groups in the country other than those represented in the Parliament, in other words, as far as our accession is concerned, between the parties of the opposition and those in Government, there is no significant difference of opinion.
One of the reasons for the low turnout on the occasion of the referendum on our accession is that in Hungary there was no real political debate about the accession because of the lack of a difference of opinion on it among the major political forces. In other words, we have not been able to make the people keener on this matter so that they should get involved in debates and discussions on this topic. Put another way, those who did not participate in the referendum thought at that time that the reply was going to be "yes" anyway. That being the case, such voters thought the following: "Why should I go and cast my vote there? It would be better to go on a tour to my family's farm or a resort or a cottage in the countryside to spend the weekend." This explanation is supported by the fact that the proportion of positive replies amounts to 86%.
The second point arises immediately out of this. The Government did not conduct a good campaign or at least the foundation which was committed to conduct and organise the campaign on this topic did not do its work efficiently enough.
There was also a third reason which should not be hidden from the members of this committee. I refer here to the fact that parties in opposition were not interested in encouraging a higher turnout and thereby, perhaps, supporting and enhancing the legitimacy of the policy of the current Government.
We would like to have seen a higher turnout. It would have been good if the turnout had been equivalent to the share of the positive votes. However, since this has not been the case, I do not believe that any definite conclusions can be drawn from this. There is another issue linked to this. In Hungary, we do not feel that one big brother has left the country and is being replaced by another big brother. Due to the fact that we created and built a democracy in our country in the past 13 years and moved to a market economy, we have been able to select our current path ourselves, with your kind agreement, and we have had the opportunity about whether we intend to join the European Union. As a result of its being located at the centre of continental Europe, Hungary has no other choice but to join the European Union. That this approach is well understood in my country is reflected in the fact that at present 80% of our foreign trade is tied into western Europe.
We do have concerns, or we are at least considering matters, because we are not entirely clear about what awaits us following accession. That we intend to accede is clear for us but how, for example, will we be able to use the benefits stemming from membership in the best possible way? Should we use, for example, the apparatus of the state, local government or the various sectors of the economy to distribute these benefits? We cannot yet provide precise answers to these questions although we will be able to complete our preparations, from the legal point of view, by the date of accession. It is on this that we are working.
We would like to use the kind help and support of Ireland in this regard. We would like the opportunity to become familiar with Ireland's experience, what people have learned since Ireland's accession to the European Union, the country's approach to other matters as a result, the invisible benefits involved and the position vis-à-vis wealth and development here.
The Chairman asked about the Hungarian position regarding the constitutional treaty. Hungary has submitted a proposed amendment to the text approved by the Convention on the Future of Europe as the possible text of the European constitution. This proposal for amendment relates to the protection of the rights of minorities. This topic was discussed in considerable detail at the meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs yesterday. However, it is an issue which is important for us, in the first instance, for domestic political reasons because there are significant Hungarian minorities which live in some neighbouring countries, namely, Romania, Croatia and Slovakia. As a result of our accession, their access to Hungary is an important issue for us.
The rest of our proposals are related to institutional aspects. It is important for us that the one country one commissioner system should be maintained. We accept the idea that the European Union should have a Foreign Minister. This could be removed from the area of Commissioners. We would like to see a proportionate majority in the voting system. For this purpose, we would like to propose a share of 60% which would represent, in part, the representatives and, also in part, the share of the population concerned. These proposals also figure among those of other countries. The Hungarian proposals do not risk the future or the acceptance of the draft text of the European constitution as prepared by the Convention.
Committee members have expressed words of appreciation about the work done by the Hungarian ambassador. It is always a great pleasure for a member of the Hungarian Parliament to hear such kind words of appreciation expressed by our partners and our ambassadors. This was the case yesterday when the Hungarian exhibition was opened in the European centre.
The issue of improving relations both in the areas of culture and trade is still an open question. There are opportunities and endeavours to act in this regard and this was proven by the fact that, in the near future, the Taoiseach will visit Hungary accompanied by a delegation counting numerous persons. We are also open to further investments from Ireland and we could also think of joint enterprises, the products of which could be sold in a third market.
In the area of culture, opportunities and possibilities are hard to count because they are so numerous. I believe this is an area where opportunities and possibilities have not been availed of in the recent past. Both our countries are considered a curiosity and as special things in Europe considering the traditions and folklore of our nations and also their history. These factors could be a proper basis for developing our cultural co-operation. However, in other areas, such as science and the arts, we could think of developing our relations further as well.
The last topic raised is the role national parliaments will fulfil in future keeps us busy and we think about it a lot. I have heard there is live contact between the Irish Parliament and members of the Commission and I, like my colleagues, have various different experiences of how these relations are maintained or supported in various European countries. I was informed in Spain there was no relationship or link of any kind between European representatives of the country and the local parliament or local representatives. Once someone is elected to be a representative in the European Parliament, he or she tends to vanish from the country. This is probably not a good example for us.
We would like to have an active relationship between European representatives and the national parliament and this leads me to the next question, which is whether we have concerns about the position of European legislation compared to national laws. If we can contribute to and participate in the preparation of European legislation at national level, perhaps we can have the opportunity to influence it and see our ideas incorporated in it. If so, we shall have no reasons for concern. I would like to refer back to the institutional structure where, by way of the system of votes or even perhaps having the possibility of a veto, we could show our proper influence in this regard as well.
