Photo by Keszthelyi Timi on Unsplash
Concerns have been expressed about Hungary’s upcoming presidency of the EU.
On July 1 Hungary takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second time.
The Hungarian presidency comes at a crucial time for the EU, with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, a migration crisis and an economy under pressure.
The Hungarian Council Presidency will oversee vital moments in the new term, including the formation of the new Commission, the selection of top jobs and the start of the new mandate of the European Parliament.
Migration, defense,enlargement and competetiveness will be the top-priorities of the Hungarian government in the coming semester.
But some, including senior MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfiled,have expressed some concerns about the presidency.
As European Parliament rapporteur for the situation in Hungary,the Greens/EFA MEP is well placed to discuss Hungary’s term at the helm of the EU and what her party calls the rule of law crisis in the EU.
The Greens say that, last month, Hungarian authorities raided the offices of Budapest’s opposition mayor Gergely Karácsony “in what appears to be a politically motivated attempt to intimidate political opponents ahead of the European elections.”
The Greens go on to say, “This year, as the Orbán regime has come under domestic political pressure it continues to lash out and legislate against opponents, civil society and fundamental rights in complete opposition to European values.”
The group has also hit out at “this ongoing slide into authoritarianism.”
Delbos-Corfiled, who this week gave a briefing to reporters on the Hungary issue, notes that the Hungarian government will take the reins of the rotating presidency of the European Council soon after the EU elections.
The ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition is projected to send the most Hungarian MEPs to Brussels following the European Parliament elections, but is set to lose two seats, according to a Europe Elects projection.
Fidesz currently holds 12 out of 21 mandates while the KDNP has one MEP. According to Europe Elects, Fidesz is set to win 10 mandates in the June 6-9 election and KDNP MEP György Hölvényi would also retain his seat.
Projected for second place is the Tisza Party of Péter Magyar, the former Fidesz insider challenging Viktor Orbán, with six seats. The opposition Democratic Coalition party is set to win four seats.
Elsewhere, European foreign ministers recently hit out at Hungary for continuously blocking military aid to Ukraine.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis reportedly said in reference to Hungary: “Almost all of our discussions and needed solutions and decisions by (the) EU are being blocked by just one country.
“We looked into this and apparently about 41% of resolutions by (the) EU on Ukraine have been blocked by Hungary,” he said. “It has gone very, very far.”
The foreign ministers of Estonia and Italy also expressed their frustration at Hungary’s behaviour, according to media reports while Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib in an interview with POLITICO urged EU governments to consider moving ahead with the Article 7 procedure to deprive Hungary of its voting rights.
