Hungary’s EU presidency creates a stir in the EU

2023-06-01 01:37:00

While Hungary will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU from July 2024, voices are being raised to denounce the policy of Viktor Orban.

By Quentin Marchal for Le Point (with AFP)

The presidency of the EU held by Hungary from July 1, 2024 is causing consternation in the European Parliament and in certain capitals at a time when the government of Viktor Orban stands out from European solidarity in favor of Ukraine.
© ASKIN KIYAGAN / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP

Published on 06/01/2023 at 01:37

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Coops of cold on the Old Continent. The prospect of seeing Viktor Orban’s Hongrie assuming the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2024 is causing unease in Brussels, due to the anti-democratic excesses of Budapest and his ties to the Kremlin.

The Council of the EU, in which the ministers of the Member States debate European legislation, is chaired in turn for six months by each of the 27 countries of the bloc, which then provide the impetus and define the priorities. The EU Treaty, which establishes the principle of “equal rotation” between member states for this presidency, does not provide for exceptions to the rule.

Only once has a country deviated from it. THE United Kingdomhad renounced to exercise it in the second half of 2017, due to the decision of the British to leave the Union in the 2016 referendum.

READ ALSOHungary: Viktor Orban’s laborious march towards the rule of law

An isolated country within the EU

Echoing the concerns of European parliamentarians about Budapest, German Secretary of State for European Affairs Anna Lührmann did not mince words when she arrived on Tuesday for a meeting with her counterparts in Brussels. There HungaryDirected by Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban“is currently isolated within the European Union due to rule of law issues that are really serious,” the German official said.

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Furthermore, she underlined, Hungary “always leaves doubts hanging over its support for theUkraine In Russia’s brutal war of aggression “. “That’s why I have doubts about Hungary’s ability to carry out its presidency of the Council,” she continued.

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra also expressed his “discomfort” at the prospect of Hungary’s EU presidency. “That’s what we all feel,” he said. Hungarian Minister of Justice Judit Varga defended her country’s ability to ensure this rotating presidency by organizing the debates “in good faith”.

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Hungary has already held this rotating presidency in the first half of 2011. Judit Varga castigated the “political pressure” from the European Parliament, which plans to vote on a resolution on the subject on Thursday, deeming this discussion “insane”.

READ ALSOWar in Ukraine: Viktor Orban stands out from the European consensus

The draft resolution asks how the government of Viktor Orban “will be able to fulfill its task credibly in view of its failure to respect EU law and values”, and calls on the Council to “find a solution as soon as possible”.

The text was presented by several of the main political groups in the Chamber – EPP (right), S&D (Socialists and Democrats), Renew Europe (centrists and liberals), Greens, GUE/NGL (radical left). Hungary is in conflict with Brussels over failings in the fight against corruption, the independence of the media and the judiciary. And the EU suspended in response billions of euros of European funds which were to be paid to this country.

READ ALSOHow Viktor Orban became a model for nationalist rights

An eminently political period

Moreover, since the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, Viktor Orban refuses to help kyiv militarily, blames the policy of sanctions against Moscow and maintains ties with the Kremlin.

READ ALSOFor Viktor Orban, Ukraine cannot defeat Russia

“The possibility of postponing the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU could prove to be one of the most effective approaches to oblige Hungary to respect its obligations in terms of the rule of law”, argues Alberto Alemanno, professor of European law at the School of Higher Business Studies (HEC).

He underlines that the Hungarian presidency will take place at an eminently political moment: just after the European elections in June 2024, when the heads of the main EU institutions are appointed.