Viktor Orban’s long-awaited speech at the European Parliament in Brussels will be postponed. The Hungarian prime minister announced that he has cancelled all his international engagements following the terrible floods that have hit the country. “Due to the extreme weather conditions and the ongoing floods in Hungary, I have postponed all my international engagements,” Orban wrote on X. The prime minister was expected in Strasbourg tomorrow and the day after to present the priorities of the Hungarian rotating presidency in what was expected to be a heated debate.
At least nine people have died as a result of the floods caused by the Boris storm, which hit central Europe and brought the most rain in the region for at least 30 years, and experts say the worst is yet to come. In Romania, the hardest-hit country, six people have been confirmed dead and one is missing. Another person drowned in Poland and a firefighter was killed in Austria while trying to provide assistance. And as the hours pass, the number of victims, missing people and displaced people is increasing. The other countries that have been struggling with water, almost incessant rain and overflowing rivers for days are the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Transport and services are down in many areas, including electricity.
The images of the floods show entire neighborhoods inundated, streets submerged by water, people with water up to their armpits, improvised dams to stop the rising watercourses, people looking for shelter. The Danube and its tributaries are time bombs of water and the authorities of half of Europe are rushing to strengthen the banks with the fear of a flood greater than that of 2013, the worst in 500 years that caused dozens of deaths and missing and tens of thousands of displaced people. Hungary has mobilized 17,000 soldiers to work to strengthen the banks in an attempt to prevent the worst. Volunteers have instead been advised to move only upon express request, and the population is advised to stay at home. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her “solidarity with all those affected by the devastating floods” in a message on X and said that “the EU stands ready to provide support”.
