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une 30 marks the end of the Hungarian presidency of the council of the European Union (EU), and the country’s Ambassador to Indonesia Szilveszter Bus celebrated the end of an era in style, by hosting a Hungarian feast at Casa D’oro in Hotel Indonesia Kempinski on Wednesday.

The event was a “7-course Hungarian feast, not a dinner, a feast”, clarified ambassador Bus, who personally worked with the chefs to ensure the menu ranging from goulash to gombás (goose liver with mushroom sauce) was fit for the occasion.

All EU ambassadors in Indonesia and the head of the EU delegation attended the function to mark the close of the Hungarian presidency. However, the guests were not all European as the music, for instance, was supplied by a talented young group of Indonesian students.

The six-month presidency of the council of the EU was Hungary’s first opportunity to guide the council of Europe since it first joined the membership in 2004.

The combination of Indonesia heading the ASEAN summit and Hungary guiding the council of Europe has proved to be not only an important time for the two counties, but also the regions they represent.

The two regions met in Hungary at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), earlier this year to continue their permanent dialogue and specifically discuss the broader range of security challenges that are facing the areas.

In June, the Hungarian Indonesian Economic Commission met in Budapest to examine and advance the bilateral relations between the countries and determine how to further develop the relations in the future.

Bus reflected that although it has been a challenge for a small country in the middle of Europe to hold this position, everything has gone smoothly and it created an opportunity to have a more visible presence in Jakarta.

“The next step is ‘PPD’ — the post presidency depression which comes on the 1st of July when nobody is calling you and you are not important anymore,” joked Bus regarding the future steps of his placement in Jakarta.

However, the future will not be without incident. “Indonesia is a very important country for us, we regard it as the political focal point of the region,” remarked Bus on the importance of the relations between the countries.

The future relations between the two countries will see a focus on areas that are future-orientated, including education, technology, energy, trade and youth programs.