Hungary assumed the EU’s six-month rotating presidency on July 1. However, Viktor Orbán immediately challenged the official EU policy on the war in Ukraine by visiting Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The EU Council clarified that Orbán only represents his government and that his role as President of the rotating presidency is purely decorative. Orbán stated that his visits to Russia and China were part of his “made in Hungary” plan, which he called the “peace mission.”
However, 63 European lawmakers said on Tuesday that Orbán had implied he acted on behalf of the entire EU when he visited Moscow and Beijing. The MEPs called for a thorough discussion organised by the European Parliament about relations with Hungary’s presidency. Following the travels of the Hungarian prime minister, several MEPs called for prematurely ending the Hungarian presidency and speeding up the Polish. The European Parliament’s conference of presidents will discuss how the institution will engage with Hungary while it holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola. Yesterday, Viktor Orbán, who has no official responsibilities during the EU Council’s rotating presidency, defied the EU again by announcing informal meetings in Budapest. However, the EU leaders decided to boycott the Hungarian Prime Minister’s initiative.
