(MTI) - Organised by the federation of Hungarians in Belgium, the charity event attracted hundreds of people, including plenty of foreigners. In a written message to the ball-goers, chief patron Janos Martonyi, Hungary's foreign minister, compared his country to a debutante, holding the EU's rotating presidency for the first time. He pledged that the Hungarian EU presidency would work to "bring people and cultures closer to one another".
Further patrons of the event, greeting the participants with written messages, included European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
Belgium's Hungarian community numbers tens of thousands of people.
