Viktor Orbán’s term as EU Council President is coming to an end.
Nominally, a member state of the European Union is supposed to take over the EU Council Presidency for a period of six months, but in Hungary’s case it is safe to say that only one person will take over. Orbán is the only person who matters in the Hungarian government.
This remained the case during his term as President of the Hungarian Council, which began on 1 July 2024.
By this point, Orbán’s diplomatic fatigue was already felt throughout Europe. The Hungarian Prime Minister was ignored on important initiatives and agreements, especially on support for Ukraine. His continued veto policy had relegated the troublemaker to the diplomatic sidelines.
Six months on, it can be said that Prime Minister Orbán has made the most of his position as EU Council President.
His controversial statements, appearances, and initiatives caused the greatest outrage.
His incitement against the “Brussels bureaucracy” reached unprecedented levels, culminating in his infamous assertion just days before the end of his presidential term.
On December 21, 2024, Prime Minister Orbán told the EU at the annual international year-end press conference that “Brussels wants to turn Hungary into Magdeburg.”
Mr. Orbán’s “mission of peace”
The country holding the EU Council Presidency is expected to promote good and harmonious cooperation between EU member states and EU institutions. There is a need to ensure continuity of the EU agenda and promote EU legislation.
They can set their priorities, but they must not pursue their own interests, but instead act in the interests of the community of EU member states.
At least that’s what it says on paper.
Although Hungary had developed priorities for the council presidency, including strengthening the EU’s competitiveness, stronger enlargement policies in the Western Balkans, and curbing illegal immigration, Mr. Orbán was largely driven by his own policies. He took advantage of his position as President of the Council of the European Union.
Shortly after the start of his term, he launched a chaotic diplomatic effort to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, which he called the “Slavic fratricidal war.”
Four days after taking office, he traveled to Moscow on a “peace mission” and visited Russian President Vladimir Putin without coordination with the EU or NATO.
Three days earlier, he had made his first bilateral visit to Kiev. No one there knew about Mr. Orbán’s plans to visit Russia.
The West as a “warmonger”
This “peace mission” caused an uproar, as Hungary has little international diplomatic influence.
Furthermore, Budapest is not an acceptable intermediary, at least for Ukraine, due to its anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian stance.
Even within NATO, Hungary is no longer considered a reliable partner due to its pro-Russian stance.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Orbán has so far continued his “mission of peace” undaunted.
Just a few days ago, after a telephone conversation with President Putin, he proposed a “Christmas truce” and a large-scale prisoner exchange.
This “mission” included indicting the “warmongering Western powers” who, according to Orbán, were the real culprits in Russia’s war.
At the same time, the Hungarian prime minister repeatedly praised former President Donald Trump and the incoming US president as “men of peace” and “the only people on earth” who can end the war in Ukraine.
Mega: “Make Europe great again”
The Hungarian Prime Minister also launched a second major project shortly after assuming the EU Council Presidency.
The name “Make Europe Great Again” (MEGA) is based on Donald Trump’s claim “Make America Great Again” (MAGA).
This includes the creation of a right-wing nationalist and populist group, European Patriots, in the European Parliament, making it the third largest group in the European Parliament.
Its membership includes some of Europe’s most important right-wing populists, including Prime Minister Orban’s Fidesz, the French National Rally, the Dutch Freedom Party, and Austria’s FPÖ. These global nationalists espouse anti-immigrant and sovereignist positions.
Orbán himself has spoken of the need to “conquer Brussels” to save Europe from decline and decline.
But in reality, Prime Minister Orbán seems increasingly less interested in any kind of unified Europe.
In the past few months, he has promoted the concept of Hungary’s “economic neutrality policy.”
Criticism of “economic bloc formation”
This move is not just a continuation of Hungary’s existing economic “Open East” policy.
Prime Minister Orbán has criticized the EU’s “economic bloc formation” and believes that Europe cannot survive international competition in its current form. He sees Asia and the BRICS countries as the future geopolitical center and believes these countries will set the rules as the most economically powerful.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has always criticized the West on moral and ideological grounds, saying that as a small country Hungary should maintain good and non-ideological relations with the world’s power and economic centers, especially China and Russia. claims.
Hungary will hand over the presidency of the EU Council to Poland at the end of 2024.
The country was a close political ally until voters decided to end the rule of the nationalist right-wing government in the fall of 2023. Relations between the two countries are currently at an all-time low.
The fact that Hungary and Poland are now worlds apart was evident even at Christmas.
In a Christmas interview with pro-government newspaper Magyar Nemzet, Prime Minister Orbán described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “our right partner.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was stunned and posted a warning about Russia’s aggressive behavior on X (formerly Twitter). On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Russia bombed residential buildings in Kryvyy Rief, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and energy facilities across Ukraine with dozens of missiles and drones.
This article was originally published in German.
