Viktor Orban’s EU Council presidency is about to come to an end.
Nominally, a member state of the European Union takes over the six-month presidency of the EU Council, but in Hungary’s case, it is safe to speak of one person only. In the Hungarian government, Orban is the only one who matters.
This has also been the case during the term of the Hungarian Council presidency, which began on July 1, 2024.
At this point, a certain diplomatic Orban fatigue had already set in across Europe. Hungary’s prime minister had been bypassed on important initiatives and agreements, particularly those in support of Ukraine. His continued veto policy had pushed the troublemaker to the diplomatic sidelines.
Six months on, it is fair to say that Orban has made the most of his EU Council presidency.
His controversial statements, appearances, and initiatives caused a maximum of outrage.
His agitation against the “Brussels bureaucrats” reached an unprecedented level and culminated in his infamous claim a few days before the end of the presidency.
On December 21, 2024, Orban addressed the EU during his traditional international end-of-year press conference, saying that “Brussels wants to turn Hungary into Magdeburg.”
Orban’s ‘peace mission’
The country holding the EU Council presidency is expected to promote good, harmonious collaboration between the EU member states and the EU institutions. It should ensure the continuity of the EU agenda and promote EU legislation.
It can set priorities, but should not pursue its own interests, and instead act in the interests of the community of EU states.
At least that is what it is written on paper.
Although Hungary had formulated priorities for its Council presidency, including strengthening the EU’s competitiveness, a stronger enlargement policy for the Western Balkans region, and curbing illegal migration, Orban used the EU Council presidency primarily for his own policies.
Right at the beginning of his term, he launched an uncoordinated diplomatic initiative to end the “Slavic fratricidal war,” as he calls Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Four days after the start of his presidency, he traveled to Moscow on a “peace mission” and visited Russian President Vladimir Putin without coordination with the EU and NATO.
Three days earlier, he had paid his first bilateral visit to Kyiv. No one there had known about Orban’s planned visit to Russia either.
The West as ‘warmonger’
This “peace mission” caused an uproar as Hungary has practically no international diplomatic clout.
Furthermore, Budapest is not an acceptable mediator, at least not 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, Orban has so far continued his “peace mission” undeterred.
Just a few days ago, following a phone call with Putin, he proposed a “Christmas ceasefire” and a major prisoner exchange.
The “mission” came with accusations against the “warmongering West”, the real culprit behind Russia’s war according to Orban.
At the same time, Hungary’s prime minister repeatedly praised former and future US President Donald Trump as a “man of peace” and the “only one on the planet” capable of ending the war in Ukraine.
MEGA: ‘Make Europe Great Again’
The Hungarian prime minister also launched a second important project right at the start of his EU Council presidency.
Based on Donald Trump’s claim “Make America Great Again”, or MAGA, it bears the name “Make Europe Great Again”, or MEGA.
It entails the founding of the right-wing nationalist-populist group “Patriots for Europe” in the European Parliament which has become the third-largest group in the European Parliament.
It has gathered the most important European right-wing populists as members, including Orban’s Fidesz, the French National Rally, the Dutch Freedom Party, and the Austrian FPÖ. These global nationalists support anti-immigration and sovereigntist positions.
Orban himself speaks of the need to “conquer Brussels” to save Europe from decay and decline.
In reality, however, Orban seems less and less interested in any kind of united Europe.
Over the past few months, he has been promoting the concept of an “economic neutrality policy” for Hungary.
Criticism of ‘economic bloc formation’
The move goes beyond continuing the existing Hungarian economic “opening to the East” policy.
Orban criticizes the EU for its “economic bloc formation” and is convinced that Europe cannot survive global competition in its current form. He sees Asia and the BRICS states as the future geopolitical centers and believes they will set the rules as the economically strongest.
While Orban constantly criticizes the West on a moral and ideological basis, he argues that Hungary, as a small country, should maintain good and ideology-free relations with the world’s power and economic centers, especially China and Russia.
At the end of 2024, Hungary will hand over the presidency of the EU Council to Poland.
The country was a close political ally until voters decided to end the rule of their nationalist right-wing administration in autumn 2023. Now, relations between the two countries are currently at an all-time low.
The fact that Hungary and Poland are currently worlds apart was also evident at Christmas.
In a Christmas interview with the pro-government newspaper Magyar Nemzet, Orban described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “our correct partner.”
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk was stunned and posted a reminder about Russia’s aggressive acts on X, formerly Twitter. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Russia bombed residential buildings in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and energy facilities throughout Ukraine with dozens of missiles and drones.
This article was originally published in German.
