This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Part of UK in Hungary

23rd May 2014 Budapest, Hungary

Elections again – this time it is about Europe

Guest blog by Zsolt Maróti, Senior Domestic Policy Officer at the British Embassy in Budapest.
 

The first EP elections were held in 1979 with the participation of nine member states. This time between 22 and 25 May some 400 million Europeans from 28 countries are eligible to cast their votes and elect a new European Parliament.

Photo: global.unc.edu
Photo: global.unc.edu

In the United Kingdom the EP elections took place on 22 May. And Hungarians will be going to the polls again on 25 May – less than two months after the general elections.

These elections offer EU citizens a unique opportunity to pass judgement on the performance/achievements of the EU and also to influence how Europe will be shaped in the coming years.

These are the first parliamentary elections since the Lisbon Treaty came into force, which gave the European Parliament more powers. One of the changes is that the new Parliament will vote on the new European Commission.

This new Commission will be in place in the next five years while the UK, together with like minded member states, will be seeking to push through an ambitious reform programme designed to make the EU more competitive, flexible and democratically accountable.

To promote the dialogue on EU reform the British Embassy in Budapest – in co-operation with Századvég ( a leading Hungarian think tank) is organising a one-day conference in early June. This coincides with the Budapest visit of minister without portfolio Ken Clarke, a British Minister with a long government career and in depth knowledge of Europe. Mr Clarke will also be speaking to Hungarian business people and policy makers about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), where an ambitious deal will mean huge growth and job creation potential for Europe, and UK efforts to secure Better EU Regulation, an important step to making our businesses more competitive in an increasingly globalised world.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the British government.

About Jonathan Knott

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take up his post. He left this post on April 2015. He has previou...

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to
Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take
up his post. He left this post on April 2015.
He has previously held a variety of diplomatic posts at home and
abroad, several with a particular focus on commercial and corporate
finance issues. Jonathan has served in a number of positions in the
British Diplomatic Service since joining in 1988:
Before his appointment was Deputy Head of Mission and Director for Trade and Investment in South Korea from 2008 to 2011.Between 2005 and 2008 he held the post of Deputy Finance Director in the FCO.From 2000 to 2005 he served as First Secretary (Trade, Corporate Affairs and Finance Negotiator) in UKDel OECD Paris.From 1996 to 2000 he was First Secretary (Head of Political/Economic/Aid Section) in Mexico.From 1995 to 1996 he worked in the FCO as Deputy European Correspondent at the EU Directorate.Between 1991 and 1995 he served as Third later Second Secretary (Political / Press and Public Affairs) in Havana.From 1990 to 1991 he was Desk Officer in the FCO’s First Gulf War Emergency Unit.Between 1988 and 1990 he worked as Desk Officer in the FCO in the Anti Drugs Cooperation Department.
Jonathan holds an MA in law from Oxford University, and he is a
member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He speaks
English, French, Spanish and Hungarian. He is married to Angela Susan
Knott and has one daughter and two sons.

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