The recent adoption of the Trump-inspired motto, “Make Europe Great Again”, by Hungary signals a seeming shift from a traditional leadership approach of steering the EU’s agenda to one more proactive and agenda setting during its six-month EU presidency. This has elicited discomfort and resentment from other EU leaders who may most likely not be swayed.
The beginning of the presidency was ushered in by Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán – a man known for his unconventional and controversial approaches – with an inaugural trip to war ravaged Ukraine. Ostensibly a cordial meeting between neighbours, the visit served as a platform for Hungary, a country infamous for hindering aid to Ukraine, to push forth its peace proposal, closely aligning with Russian suggestions involving an immediate ceasefire without any retreat of Russian forces.
This idea however, has been opposed fiercely by Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, with backing from EU leaders. Zelenskiy avidly insists that dialogue can only commence if Russian forces withdrew from Ukraine’s occupied regions. While Orbán addressed the profound influence of the war on European security, he acknowledged alongside Zelenskiy that setting the EU’s foreign and security policy lies with the EU’s foreign policy chief and its council president, not its presidency. Despite this, Orbán argued dubiously, “we are at Ukraine’s service during the Hungarian presidency”.
Throughout the ongoing Russian invasion since February 2022, nearly all EU leaders excluding Orbán, have visited Kyiv. Orbán also stands amongst only two who have met Vladimir Putin during this time, and in multiple instances.
The preceding Belgian presidency’s officials strived and mostly succeeded in exempting sensitive issues, potentially subject to Hungarian obstructions, from the new presidency’s agenda. This includes commencing negotiation talks for the entry of Ukraine and Moldova, huge financial aid for military support to Ukraine, and a new round of sanctions against Russia. Orbán, who frequently showed resistance to providing financial support to Ukraine, once unusually avoided opposing an agreement to begin accession talks by exiting a council meeting in December.
Though Budapest asserts it isn’t colluding with Russia, and its objection to the accession talks stems from Kyiv’s failure to secure the rights of its abundant Hungarian population, lingering suspicions remain.
A history of hindering progress within the union, coupled with ongoing disagreements about legality with Brussels, have led to considerations about rescinding Hungary’s voting privileges under Article Seven of the treaty. Brussels is unlikely to make this move. However, there’s a sense of relief that the forthcoming six months won’t be inundated with new laws or opportunities for a difficult presidency. Nonetheless, the presidency is predicted to be a challenging and uneasy tenure.