On 6 January 2011 took place the official ceremony where Hungary took the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from Belgium. Yves Leterme, acting Prime Minister of Belgium, and Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary attended the ceremonial event hosted in the Cupola Hall of the Houses of Parliament, where Hungarian MPs as well as the government seat. They both highlighted the turning point EU is facing and the need to face the challenges of current global situation.

The handover ceremony, which marked the end of the six-months period of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, took place in presence of Pál Schmitt, President of the Republic of Hungary, as well as every government minister, the Speaker and deputy speakers of the House, the chairmen/group leaders of each parliamentary party and the complete diplomatic corps accredited to Budapest. Belgian Prime Minister, Yves Leterme, evoked in his speech the spirit of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, and confirmed that Hungary was the first nation to punch a hole in the wall dividing Europe.

Prime Minister Leterme also expressed his conviction that the European Union will maintain its momentum during the Hungarian Presidency, and highlighted the excellent collaboration between Belgian Presidency and all EU institutions as well as the cooperation between Spain, Belgium and Hungary, as an excellent presidential trio.

Four priorities for Hungarian Presidency

There are four main priorities for the Hungarian Presidency of the EU to work on over the next six months, especially in the social aspect. The Hungarian Presidency is responsible for lending impetus to the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy, and stabilization of the Euro remains as a high priority for this period. This, as highlighted by Prime Minister Leterme, is in the best interest of every member state.

Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary noted the importance of job creation, as one of the most important challenges to be met over the next Presidency period. He also underlined the importance for the European Union to remain competitive in the in a world which is going through a radical change. Besides, Hungarian Prime Minister, reminded Belgium's upheld of the hope for Croatia to join the EU and for Romania and Bulgaria to enter the Schengen Area.

EU Presidency Flag handover ended with Prime Minister Orbán's conclusion that Hungarian Presidency "can work no wonders but can rub the bottle to help release the spirit, the spirit of Europe's revival".