analysis
The Council Presidency is actually supposed to mediate within the EU and build bridges. But Hungary has alienated the other members from the start. What is driving Prime Minister Orban?
Viktor Orban is known for not avoiding conflict. Many enemies, much honor. On Wednesday, the EU Parliament in Strasbourg was to be the venue for a major exchange of blows. Hungary has held the rotating presidency of the EU Council since July. The Prime Minister was to speak about his priorities, about how he envisions Europe. Then the floods came. Orban decided to stay at home. Rubber boots and a raincoat instead of leather shoes and a suit.
He would certainly have been faced with a lot of critical questions, as he had offended the rest of the EU quite a lot in the first half of his presidency. The presidency is actually supposed to be a bridge-builder and find compromises for six months. The key word is: honest broker.
Hungary wants to expand cooperation with Russia
Right at the start of his Council Presidency, Orban caused divisions. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and former US President Donald Trump. The rest of the EU was furious – especially because he also travelled to Russian President Vladimir Putin without coordinating this with the other member states. Orban calls it a peace mission. He has “taken the first step back towards dialogue”, said Orban at the press conference in Moscow with the Russian President, against whom the EU has imposed numerous sanctions because of the war of aggression against Ukraine.
Yesterday, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto spoke out in favor of expanding economic cooperation with Russia in areas not affected by the sanctions. As a young man in 1989, Orban had called for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from his homeland. Orban's peace trips have so far had no noticeable effect.
Orban's obvious Goal: Maintain power
Even before the start of the presidency, Hungary was in a long-running dispute with the EU Commission over its asylum policy. After the country failed to pay a 200 million euro fine, the money is now to be deducted from EU payments to Budapest. The fine was imposed by the European Court of Justice because Hungary violated EU asylum law. Hungary recently threatened to take migrants to Brussels by bus.
What drives Orban? For him, only one thing counts: what secures his power in Hungary? This is how Hungarian journalist Péter Magyari describes it in an interview with ARD Europe MagazineHe works for the news site Valasz Online, which he calls conservative and independent, critical of Orban, but also of the opposition. Magyari: “Orban wants to give his people, his voters, the feeling that he has made Hungary bigger than it is.” It is a very important point in Hungarian thinking “that we deserve a bigger, a more important country.”
The main thing is that the message to your own people is right
It is now half-time for Hungary. In the day-to-day business of Brussels, no loud criticism of the Council Presidency can be heard. However, there was a row about informal meetings in Hungary. These are actually a good opportunity to show the other EU members your own country. But in protest against Orban, the EU Commission did not send any commissioners, only high-ranking officials.
This also happened last week at the meeting of finance ministers. Only very few EU states sent their first guard. The host presented his own view of things. Every EU country was represented at the large conference table, said Finance Minister Mihály Verga at the press conference. It seemed like a defiant success story: “It seems that the Hungarian presidency will ultimately benefit from the latest attempt at sanctions from Brussels.” The main thing is that the message to its own people is right.
“His goal is to rule Hungary forever”
If you follow Viktor Orban on social media, it seems as if he is happy with the latest developments in the EU. The Netherlands wants to withdraw from the common asylum rules. Since the EU treaties will probably have to be changed for this, that is unlikely to happen for the time being. No matter. “Finally a courageous government,” Orban cheered on X: “Where can Hungary sign?” And he called out to the German Chancellor because of the increased border controls: “Welcome to the club!” Scholz may see things differently.
Hungarian journalist Magyari in Budapest does not believe that peace will return between Orban and the EU: “His goal is to rule Hungary forever. And anything that helps him in this regard with regard to the European Union is important to him.”
The EU Parliament will meet again in Strasbourg at the beginning of October. It would be an opportunity for a new attempt at a debate.
The Europamagazin also reports on this topic on Sunday, 22.09.2024
