Hungary took up the presidency in July, and since then Orbán has undermined EU unity in many ways.
Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán today, Tuesday, heads to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where a stormy meeting with MEPs is expected.
Hungary took the EU presidency in July, and since then Orbán has undermined EU unity in many ways.
Among other things, he started negotiations with Ukraine, Russia and China in order to bring peace to Ukraine. So without the approval of other EU countries.
Hungary has also tried to crowd out the EU’s aid to Ukraine and has broken the EU’s common rules in many ways.
In response, the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen ordered top officials to skip several high-level meetings organized by the Hungarian presidency. Such a boycott has not been seen before in the history of the Union.
Orbán has been invited to Strasbourg to present the program of the Hungarian presidency. The event has already been postponed twice, and now it can only be held in the middle of Hungary’s presidency.
“We must not withdraw from Brussels, but conquer it”
Orbán already made rounds on Sunday when he praised the far-right’s electoral victories in Italy, the Netherlands and Austria in a social media post.
– We should not withdraw from Brussels, but conquer it. Let’s take Brussels back from the bureaucrats and return it to the people of Europe, he wrote.
Immigration also comes to the fore in Strasbourg, as Hungary’s anti-immigration government threatens to send asylum seekers on buses to Brussels as a protest against the EU’s refugee policy.
French MEP Valerie Hayerwhose centrist group Renew plans to hold a rally during Orbán’s visit, called his self-styled diplomacy unacceptable and said it served the interests of autocratic states.
– Orbán is playing arsonist with the idea of Europe. He wants to burn the Europe of democracy, liberalism and tolerance, he accused.
– Orbán must not use the presidency of the Council to promote Putin’s interests, said the Maltese MEP Alex Agius Saliba.
In his home country, Orbán has sought to limit civil rights and tighten his grip on power.
In July, a European Commission assessment stated that Hungary falls far short of EU democratic standards in terms of corruption, bribery, political funding, conflicts of interest and media independence.