Text 444.hu is the consequence of the cooperation of Political Critics with independent Polish and Hungarian editorials. Poland started the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Hungary ended. We asked 444 to conclude the Hungarian half-year.
"Leading does not mean that you are the head of Europe. On the contrary, it means that you should find compromises," Viktor Orbán heard last June erstwhile Hungary covered the EU Presidency from Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
De Croo had reason to fear that Orbán He will ignore his commandments, but the first weeks of the Hungarian Presidency have surely shocked him. Orbán entered the European Union with a bang with a planned and carefully conducted political campaign. Under the slogan of the peace mission, he began a diplomatic journey, during which he was doing precisely what de Croo warned him about: he presented himself as the head of Europe.
Diplomatic Gambling
Since the Presidency of the Council of the European Union does not give it to the president any power to represent the EU outside, the leaders of the Community, 1 by one, rushed to explain that the Hungarian Prime Minister does not hold talks on their behalf. However, the Hungarian government did not mind. On social media, information about the journey to Moscow appeared with the logo of the Hungarian Presidency, and in the government news service Gergley Gulyás reported that Orbán had been interviewing Vladimir Putin as rotational president and head of government.
For the first 3 weeks of July, Orbán was on everyone's lips. While fresh leaders were chosen in the EU, the Hungarian Prime Minister took over the political space, deserted as a consequence of transitional changes. Though short, he gained global interest for years. alternatively of solving the problems of Hungarian education or wellness care, he dealt with a global conflict and although he had no chance of achieving peace, it was no problem for him.
However, this diplomatic gambling had its price. Orbán even lost the remainder of the trust he had with EU leaders. Like the European Commission, many associate States have besides announced a boycott of informal summit meetings which were organised by Hungary during their Presidency.
The advanced typical of the Union for abroad Affairs and safety Policy Josep Borrell transferred to Brussels the planned abroad Affairs Summit in Budapest, and the associate States surpassed who would send to five-star hotels in Budapest officials of the lowest rank. But they were simply symbolic steps, without much meaning.
Orbán's diplomatic journey has done real harm to the Presidency's perception. After a summertime break in September, work in the Union was already accompanied by hostility to the Hungarian Presidency not only by the Commission, but besides by any associate States sitting in the Council, and for the average EU citizen the only association with this Presidency was the handshake of Orbán with Putin.
Bang, then relief
The tension that has been rising since July reached its climax on 9 October, erstwhile after Orbán spoke in Strasbourg in the European Parliament there was a political debate about the temperature that has not been encountered for years. The Prime Minister of Hungary, after his speech on the Hungarian Presidency, was under the fire of Euro MPs, but Ursula von der Leyen besides entered the ringing this time.
The president of the Commission attacked Orbán's policy towards Ukraine, utilizing the example of the 1956 uprising, and besides mentioned the smugglers of people released from prison by the Hungarian government and the Chinese policemen seen in Budapest. In response, Orbán lamented the deficiency of a professional debate and the "parely politicised" Commission.
During the EP debate, the perception of the Hungarian Presidency reached the highest level of criticism, but as early as late October, this began to change. The turning point was to pass a EUR 35 billion debt to Ukraine financed from frozen Russian assets. This was the first major consequence of the Hungarian Presidency throughout the six months. The decision besides required a motion from the Hungarian Government, as the Hungarian Minister for abroad Affairs abstained at a gathering of the Council of Ministers of abroad Affairs.
The informal November EU summit in Budapest besides announced the simplification of tensions. Although respective associate States threatened to boycott the gathering in the summer, they all yet arrived in Budapest. Orbán's supporting origin was besides the choice of the date of the gathering – the summit was held immediately after the U.S. presidential election, so EU leaders in Budapest had the chance to discuss for the first time the expected consequences of Donald Trump's triumph for Europe.
The most crucial consequence of the informal EU summit was the issue of the Budapest Declaration on a fresh governance for European competitiveness. The paper does not have legal weight, but it is of political importance and sets basic objectives to increase EU competitiveness. This declaration is crucial for Orbán, as the improvement of competitiveness was the most crucial commitment of the Hungarian Presidency. And it is crucial for the Union due to the fact that since Mario Draghi's report, this problem has become crucial in the life of the Community.
Schengen and a fresh package of sanctions
In December, 2 issues decided to improve the evaluation of the Hungarian Presidency. 1 solution was implemented unexpectedly, the another was the consequence of many years of work.
Due to Orbán's pro-Russian attitude, almost no 1 expected that during the Hungarian Presidency the EU would adopt a fresh package of sanctions against Russia. In October, Euro MPs thought it would be essential to wait until the beginning of the Polish PresidencyBecause the negotiations on this substance are dead. The 15th package of sanctions was adopted under Hungarian leadership in December.
Another success of the Hungarian Presidency was the enlargement of the Schengen area. In December, Austria was the last associate State to retreat its veto so that Bulgaria and Romania could full join the free movement zone.
Hungary already in 2011, during its erstwhile presidency, wanted to accomplish the accession of both countries to the Schengen area, but the process continued. First the Netherlands, then Austria vetoed with various reasons, including concerns about law violations, corruption and organised crime.
In November, the Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary Sándor Pintér held a summit of 5 home ministers in Budapest. At the meeting, the parties developed a package which included strengthening the protection of the Bulgarian-Turkish border and creating a common EU quota. After the resolution was adopted unanimously at the December Home Affairs Council, Austria withdrew its veto.
The enlargement of the Schengen area was undoubtedly the Hungarian Presidency's biggest success, thanks to this decision, after 17 years of waiting Bulgaria and Romania joined the zone. This fact will besides be crucial for Hungary, as the beginning of the Hungarian-Romanian border starts crucial changes in border areas from 1 January.
What didn't work out as expected
Even before the Hungarian Presidency, they pointed to enlargement as an crucial objective, and they wanted to accomplish it for all Western Balkan countries. Since the full-scale war broke out and Ukraine started moving for EU membership, the Hungarian government has increasingly identified Balkan countries as victims of a double expansion strategy. Since these countries have made almost no advancement in fresh years, this argument was not unfounded.
Ultimately, the Hungarian Presidency has produced results in this area, although surely not as expected. 2 fresh negotiating chapters were opened with Albania and 1 chapter with Montenegro closed. In addition, Serbia was informed that it could prepare for negotiations on the competitiveness cluster. However, during the Presidency, no advancement was made in negotiations with North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Kosovo. And Ukraine and Moldova were not even included in the Hungarian Presidency's negotiating programme.
If we look at the figures only, the Hungarian Presidency has not produced crucial results. However, it must besides be seen that, due to the transitional situation in the EU institutions, neither the European Parliament nor the European Commission could work full during this cycle.
During the Presidency, a full of 9 legislative issues with the EP were closed, which, according to the Hungarian economical weekly HVG, is simply a negative record, worse than the results of another presidencies, besides operating in transitional situations. Fidesz's typical in the EP, Enikő Győri, explained this in an yearly proceeding with EU Minister János Bóka with an exceptionally critical attitude towards Orbán, claiming that the EP was intentionally "freezing" cases by blocking negotiations with the Council.
Orbán's abrupt turn
Since Orbán himself, at the December EU summit, acknowledged at a press conference that, alternatively of the bureaucratic Presidency, he deliberately elected the political Presidency, his results should besides be assessed primarily from a political point of view. If we look at the Hungarian half-years in this way, the enlargement of the Schengen area, a debt to Ukraine, a fresh package of sanctions and partial negotiations on the Western Balkans can be seen as achievements. The accomplishment was surely not a peace mission.
After all, Orbán besides described Ukraine as the most crucial political issue, due to the fact that he said he dealt with the war most. In practice, this meant a July peace mission and an unexpected proposal for a ceasefire for Christmas in December. However, no of these actions had concrete results.
The message of the failure of the peacekeeping mission was that Orbán had already denied in December that he had made his July journey to Kiev, Moscow and Beijing as the rotating president of the EU Council. He argued that he had only bilateral diplomatic talks due to the fact that he had no real area for manoeuvre due to a deficiency of consensus in the EU. This is hard to accept, since in the summertime the government in Budapest claimed something else completely opposite. If the peace mission had been successful, Orbán would surely not have missed the chance to announce it to the planet at the end of the Presidency.
As the disastrous evaluation of the Hungarian Presidency has improved somewhat in the second half, the Commission's memory has besides become somewhat more selective. An example was the December press conference, at which Von der Leyen made a clear motion towards Orbán. She praised the achievements of his Presidency, especially the enlargement of Schengen, the debt to Ukraine and the package of sanctions against Russia. More important, however, was that she did not even mention peacekeeping.
The following presidencies are mainly linked to administrative work, so usually after six months no 1 remembers them. But the Hungarian Presidency will most likely stay in head for a while. However, not due to her successes, but alternatively due to the political circus that Viktor Orbán performed.
As has been the case many times in the past, and this time erstwhile again, the Hungarian Prime Minister found gaps in the functioning of the Union, occupied the deserted space and utilized it for his own purposes. Orbán saw the Presidency not as an institution designed to support EU legislation, but as an chance for self-presentation that can be utilized for his own political interests. He knew that he could not be the head of Europe, but did everything to make voters believe that he was.
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Kristóf Molnár – writer of Hungarian service 444.hu
From Hungarian postponed Anna Boros | Voxeurop
