Hungary takes over the rotating Presidency of the European Union on 1 January 2011, inheriting an ongoing economic crisis in the eurozone, Novinite.com reports.
Europe's debt crisis, treaty change, budget, Roma migrant question and the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen zone are all expected to top the agenda in the coming months.
The takeover was greeted with a spectacular music and light show. Hungarian President Pal Schmitt addressed the nation and showed the nation is keen to display that it has what it takes.
But not everyone is happy. Moves by Budapest to tighten controls over the media and seize private pension assets have angered several EU partners and sparked concern about media freedom in the country.
The UK, Germany and Luxembourg have all issued unusual public rebukes, with Luxembourg's foreign minister openly questioning whether Hungary was ''worthy of leading the bloc." They have called on it to review the new media law. For the moment, however, Hungary's government remains defiant.
Another divisive issue will be the enlargement of Europe's so-called Schengen area, within which citizens can travel freely without border controls.
Bulgaria and Romania hope to join the area in March 2011, but France and Germany have decided to block their membership bids, regarding them as premature.
During his visit to Bulgaria's capital in the mid-December, the Hungarian Interior Minister, Shandor Pinter, made assurances that Bulgaria's entry to the Schengen zone will be one of the priorities of Hungary's Presidency of the European Union.
Hungary will work on securing the entries of both Bulgaria and Romania, according to Shandor Pinter.
"During our Presidency, we wish to give strong support to Bulgaria and we believe we will be able to achieve our goal. We will see a positive decision of the EU regarding Bulgaria's Schengen entry, made by June 30, as a definite success of our Presidency," Pinter said after meeting his Bulgarian counterpart, Tsvetan Tsvetanov.
Hungary's Presidency of the EU will last six months.
