Poland will take over the rotating presidency of the European Union this Wednesday, January 1. She will succeed Hungary which may have irritated its partners over the last six months, but which has also shown success. What is the outcome of this Hungarian presidency?
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“ Make Europe great again! » This is the slogan chosen by the Hungary for his presidency of the European Union. A reference to that of Donald Trump which may have annoyed certain leaders among the 27, recalls our correspondent in Brussels, Laxmi Lota.
And the Hungarian Prime Minister has repeatedly infuriated his colleagues over the past six months. In July, Viktor Orban for example, went to kyiv, then Moscow and Beijing without a European mandate. He met the Russian president, despite the European position of total support for Ukraine and isolation of the Russia.
Viktor Orban defended his mandate at the last European summit: “ There are two options: either we lead a political presidency or a bureaucratic presidency. I opted for political decisions. »
Its partners recognize the progress made by Hungary. Romania and Bulgaria will become fully part of the Schengen area on January 1. The President of the European Commission also mentions the “Budapest Declaration”, adopted last month: an ambitious text on Europe’s competitiveness.
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Poland takes control
Increasingly ambitious on the European scene, the Poland will take over from Hungary as the rotating presidency of the Council of theEuropean Union. A change welcomed with relief in Brussels.
For six months, Warsaw should play much more collectively than Budapest to try to advance European issues. Starting with support for Ukraineof which Poland is one of the fervent defenders. “ We are in a time of extreme challenges, there is a war right next to us » in Ukraine, underlines Ambassador Agnieszka Bartol, Polish permanent representative to the European Union.
The Polish presidency begins in the uncertain context of Donald Trump’s coming to power on January 20 in the United States. Europeans fear American disengagement in Ukraine and trade tensions with the United States. The Polish government also intends to invest in the fight against illegal immigration. Before the European summit in March, he is waiting for the Commission’s proposal to facilitate expulsions.