EU - Change in Council presidency: Orban now has his turn in the EU
The next six months, Hungary will hold the EU Council Presidency. The Budapest government intends to use this presidency to boost the economic competitiveness of the EU. To promote growth, a new agreement will be passed, the government announced upon taking over the EU Council Presidency on this Monday. In addition, illegal migration will be combated better - among other things through deals with third countries.
The EU Council presidency rotates every six months among the 27 member states. Government representatives from Hungary will therefore lead numerous ministerial meetings and mediate in disputes between EU states until the end of December.
Orban is known for his critical EU stance
The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is known for his critical EU stance. He has clashed with other member states in the past and blocked important votes, most notably in support of the beleaguered Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow.
"The presidency does not mean that you are the boss of Europe. The presidency means that you are the one who makes compromises," the outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told his Budapest counterpart in Brussels. Belgium had previously held the EU Council presidency.
Budapest wants to "make Europe great again"
It remains to be seen whether Orban will accept this. And Ukraine will continue to play a major role in the EU in the coming weeks and months - both in terms of further aid, but also in ongoing accession talks with the country. The EU heads of state and government recently agreed that Europe should become less dependent militarily and significantly strengthen its arms industry. It is now up to Hungary to push for this goal.
Previously, the right-wing Hungarian government caused headlines with its motto for the Council presidency: "Make Europe Great Again" - a slogan altered from the controversial American ex-president Donald Trump's campaign slogan. In German, this phrase means "Make Europe great again."
In the past, Orban and Trump have praised each other. Only in March, Orban praised Trump at a meeting as "the president of peace," while the American praised Orban as "the best leader" in the world.
Exactly how this leadership will look in relation to the Council presidency remains to be seen. However, the power of the Council presidency is limited: The legislative proposals come from the EU Commission. The wording of the legal texts is then negotiated by the EU states and parliament. In addition, neither the Commission nor the Parliament is fully operational three weeks after the European elections - many important positions still need to be filled. Many new legislative initiatives are therefore not to be expected during this phase.
Orban forges right-wing coalition
Orban will also expand his influence in the EU Parliament. A day before taking over the presidency, Orban announced the founding of a new right-wing faction in the Parliament. The group "Patriots for Europe" includes not only the Hungarian government party Fidesz, but also the right-wing Austrian FPO and the liberal-populist Czech ANO. The alliance is open to other parties that acknowledge the "Patriotic Manifesto" signed by the three party leaders in Vienna on Sunday.
With the hoped-for addition, the group would become the "largest faction of right-wing forces in Europe," according to Orban. Their manifesto contains the familiar positions of right-wing, right-populist, and far-right parties: rejection of migration and the "Green Deal," no support for Ukraine under attack from Russia, and dismantling integration in the EU to strengthen the sovereignty of national states.
Will the AfD join?
The three parties received the most votes in their respective EU elections in their countries. Fidesz has eleven representatives in the new European Parliament, ANO seven, and the FPO six. Together, they thus have 24 of the 705 representatives in this EU body. For the formation of a faction, at least 23 MPs from seven countries are required.
There are many points of contact between Fidesz and the FPO, and the AfD, which was expelled from the right-wing ID faction just before the European election. AfD chairman Tino Chrupalla declined to comment on Orban's plans at the AfD party conference in Essen on Sunday at the request of the media.
AfD MEP Marc Jongen, however, expressed himself positively in the Deutschlandfunk. "So, if it were up to me, we would be very happy to join this faction." The "Patriotic Manifesto" could sign our party "immediately." In terms of content, we are "very close to Orban," we are working on "establishing formal cooperation in the future."
- Hungary, under the leadership of Fidesz and Viktor Orban, will preside over the EU Council for the next six months, aiming to enhance the economic competitiveness of the EU.
- Orban's EU Council Presidency will involve leading numerous ministerial meetings and mediating disputes between EU states until the end of December.
- Orban's critical stance towards the EU has led to clashes with other member states, such as blocking important votes in support of Ukraine and imposing sanctions against Moscow.
- Belgium, which previously held the EU Council presidency, advised Orban that the presidency does not equate to being the boss of Europe, but rather requires making compromises.
- Hungary's motto for the Council presidency is "Make Europe Great Again," inspired by Donald Trump's controversial campaign slogan.
- previously, Orban and Trump praised each other, with Orban referring to Trump as the "president of peace" and Trump calling Orban the "best leader" in the world.
- Orban's power during the Council presidency is limited, as the legislative proposals come from the EU Commission, and the wording of the legal texts is negotiated by EU states and parliament.
- Orban is planning to expand his influence in the EU Parliament by founding a new right-wing faction called "Patriots for Europe" that includes Fidesz, the Austrian FPO, and the Czech ANO.
- With the addition of other like-minded parties, Orban's "Patriots for Europe" group could become the largest faction of right-wing forces in Europe, sharing positions such as rejection of migration, no support for Ukraine, and dismantling integration in the EU.
- The German right-wing party AfD, which was expelled from the right-wing ID faction, has the potential to join "Patriots for Europe," with its chairman Tino Chrupalla declining to comment on Orban's plans at the party conference.
- AfD MEP Marc Jongen has expressed positive sentiment towards joining "Patriots for Europe," stating that their party shares many content positions with Orban and is working on establishing formal cooperation in the future.
