The rift is over. The European Union foreign ministers have decided to take an important summit away from Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, the country that is leading the so-called European semester. The proposal put forward by the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, received the consensus of the foreign ministers of the 27 member states on July 22. The decision is the result of widespread anger among EU governments over Orbán’s “peace tour”, particularly over his openness to Vladimir Putin’s Russia on the issue of the war in Ukraine.
Borrell said the meeting scheduled for late August in Budapest, the informal meeting of foreign ministers, will now be held in Brussels. That’s because Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has visited Moscow and Beijing without EU support and his government has branded the EU’s policy as “pro-war”. “We have to send a signal, even if it’s symbolic,” Borrell told reporters in Brussels after the last meeting of EU foreign ministers before the summer break. The informal meeting devoted to foreign affairs is considered one of the most prestigious events hosted by a country while it holds the rotating EU presidency.
Budapest’s excessive proximity to Moscow
Orbán’s “peace mission,” which included a visit to Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, began a few days after Hungary took over the EU presidency on July 1. According to officials, several foreign ministers at the meeting strongly condemned Budapest’s position directly to their Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto. Budapest’s closeness to Moscow is considered excessive by many member states.
The European Union’s move that could corner Orbán
This kind of attitude is undermining Brussels’ efforts to politically and diplomatically isolate Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Orbán counters by saying he is trying to bring peace to Ukraine as quickly as possible. “If you want to talk about the war party, talk about Putin,” said Borrell, the diplomat most critical of Budapest. Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto called Borrell’s decision “childish.” “I don’t want to offend anyone, but this is probably a debate at the asylum level,” he told reporters.
Italy opposed
The decision was not unanimous. Some ministers opposed it, including Italy represented by Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani. Along with the informal Foreign Affairs summit, scheduled for August 28-29, the one dedicated to Defense was also postponed. Both meetings will be held in Brussels, since the majority of countries wanted to send a signal to Hungary, Borrell argued.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski had instead proposed holding the meeting of foreign ministers in Ukraine, but Hungary voted against the proposal. The decision to “boycott” the Hungarian presidency is not the first. Some countries, including Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Denmark, as well as the European Commission itself, have already reduced their participation in ministerial meetings coordinated by Budapest.