Poland and Baltics, angry with Orban, will boycott meetings of the Hungarian presidency of the EU

07/13/2024

Updated at 7:53 p.m.

A visit to Putin by the Prime Minister of Hungary and the current President of the EU Council, Viktor OrbanThere have been many critical statements, especially from countries on NATO’s eastern flank, which are most threatened by Russian expansionism. Ministry , German Foreign Ministry He has expressed his discomfort in an unusually harsh manner: “We are on the twelfth day of his presidency and he has already done a lot of damage,” said a spokesman. Polish Prime Minister donald tuskHowever, it believes that criticism is not enough and it is necessary to proceed on facts, which is why it has decided to boycott participation in the meetings of the Hungarian presidency. His government will send lower-level officials to the meetings instead of ministers. Tusk has coordinated this decision with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which will join its initiative. The Nordic countries also consider this measure of pressure and protest justified and will support Tusk. They defended, saying, “Hungary’s actions after barely assuming the presidency of the Council are harmful and will definitely have consequences.” jessica roswalSwedish EU Commissioner appointed.

In fact, this boycott actually began even before the announcements. At the informal council meeting on competitiveness held last Tuesday in Budapest, more than 20 countries, including Austria, were not represented by ministers, despite the fact that the Austrian foreign minister, Alexander Schallenberghas rejected his country’s participation in the boycott.

Leader of the Swedish Opposition, Magdalena AndersonHe goes further and asks his government to work to force Hungary to withdraw its council presidency, according to the newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet. And even further comes the opposition of Neos (a centrist political party) in Austria, which proposes that the rotating presidency of the council be definitely abolished. “Handing over the reins to a national politician every six months weakens Europe. It prevents us from speaking with one voice and being accepted as equal partners worldwide,” said Neos EU representative Helmut Brandstätter.

According to the Measures Committee, an independent association of European lawyers, it would in principle be possible to deprive Hungary of the Council presidency. Article 236 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Unionassure that the Council can adjust the calendar of the EU presidents with a qualified majority. Hungary therefore does not necessarily have to agree. In this case, Poland, which will take over the presidency on a rotating basis at the beginning of 2025, could already assume it, although this is unlikely to happen.

And while the EU is looking for ways to mitigate the loss of Hungary’s presidency, Orban makes his “peace mission” politically profitable by announcing a new tax that will be paid by international energy corporations and the banking sector, destined for a special defense fund that will finance the purchase of weapons.