Viktor Orbán, self-appointed mediator

Lower than a month into Hungary‘s presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the controversy solely grows. In early July, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz, nationalist proper) flew to Moscow to fulfill Vladimir Putin as a part of a “peace mission” to discover a resolution to the battle in Ukraine. That is the primary time a European chief has met the top of the Kremlin because the starting of the battle.

The Hungarian chief’s escapade – which additionally took him to Ukraine, China and the USA – prompted an uproar throughout the European establishments, not least as a result of Orbán positioned himself for each his hosts and the Hungarian public as a negotiator on behalf of Brussels, with out having a mandate to take action.

With some individuals already considering of boycotting the Hungarian presidency, Josep Borrell, the EU’s head of diplomacy, has introduced that the casual assembly of overseas ministers scheduled for the top of August has been moved. The assembly will now be held in Brussels as an alternative of Budapest, as had initially been deliberate by the rotating presidency.

Extra typically, Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the EU has been giving rise to severe issues, with some observers questioning the political agenda championed by a rustic usually at odds with the remainder of the bloc.


Obtain one of the best of European journalism straight to your inbox each Thursday

We hope you loved this text.

Would you contemplate supporting our work? Voxeurop relies on subscriptions and donations from its readers.

Uncover our gives from €6/month together with subscribers-only advantages.
Subscribe

Or make a donation to bolster our independence.
Donate

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *