European Council President Herman Van Rompuy on Wednesday called for continued economic reform now that the European Union is going upward after hitting the bottom in 2012.
Van Rompuy made the remarks at a joint news conference here with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban following a meeting between the two.
Van Rompuy warned that this was not the time to sit back and relax despite the positive results of crisis management. Instead, gradual and consistent steps have to be taken towards establishing a true economic union among European Union members, he said.
A stronger economy means greater competitiveness, he said, adding that establishment of a bank union could help to attain long-term growth and increase employment.
He deemed job creation as the best way to ensure the welfare of European citizens.
Given Hungary is not a eurozone member, Orban called on the European Council to be more willing to accept and understand those of Hungary's economic measures that might seem unusual to eurozone countries.
These measures, he said, included tax reforms and measures to improve competitiveness.
While hoping Hungary's economic growth to exceed expectations, Orban said that Van Rompuy had always been open to the measures Hungary has taken to stabilize the economy and shift it to a growth pattern.
Calling the Council President an important friend, Orban said Hungary could be counted on to support bank union, and monetary and economic coordination within the EU.
Van Rompuy, serving his second term as Council President, has been acclaimed by some as a consensus-builder. Agreement earlier this month on the EU's next budget, running from 2014 to 2020, has been said to exemplify his negotiating skills.
Speaking in Budapest, Van Rompuy called the agreement "good and important" for Hungary and for Europe.
The European Council President is also scheduled to meet with Speaker of Parliament Laszlo Kover and Hungarian President Janos