This July 1, Hungary takes on the turn of an uncomfortable presidency of the EU Council for the rest of the bloc

BRUSSELS, June 30 () –

Hungary will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from Belgium on Monday, July 1, a task that will force Viktor Orbán’s government to act as an “honest mediator” between the Twenty-Seven during a semester that many in the EU are uncomfortable with due to the anti-democratic drift of their Prime Minister and which the European Parliament has tried to stop.

The ultra-conservative government is taking on the European agenda with the commitment of being an “honest” interlocutor, willing to “sincerely cooperate” with the rest of the member states and institutions in the interest of “peace, security and prosperity of a truly strong Europe,” according to the programme for the semester.

The ‘roadmap’ for the Hungarian presidency will focus on the issues of enlargement, defense and competitiveness, with the challenge of “Making Europe great again”, as evoked by the motto chosen by Budapest to frame this period and which replicates the one that American magnate Donald Trump already used to reach the White House.

“The presidency doesn’t mean being the head of Europe, it means you are the one who has to make the compromises. It’s an interesting position to be in at least once in your life, so I can definitely recommend it to Mr Orbán,” joked Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, a liberal, at his last press conference as president, when asked if he had any advice for his Hungarian colleague.

Days before, also asked if she fears the effects of Orbán’s role during the semester, the vice president of the European Commission in charge of rule of law, the Czech Vera Jourova, said she did not fear “anything” but warned that it will be an important moment “for Hungary itself”, which will have to demonstrate whether it is capable of “delivering” as an “honest mediator”. “I expect professionalism and neutrality,” she added.

In turbulent times due to the Russian war against Ukraine or the advance of the extreme right and populism, the fact that the current presidency is in the hands of a leader in total harmony with the former US president and candidate Donald Trump and close to the Kremlin generates concern and discomfort in Brussels.

It should not be forgotten, moreover, that Hungary has been under Article 7 of the EU Treaty for several years now for its anti-democratic reforms and the systemic risk they pose to the rule of law throughout the bloc, a mechanism which, although it is moving very slowly against Budapest, could lead to the suspension of its voting rights in decision-making at 27. The European Parliament even warned in a resolution of the risks of Orbán assuming the rotating presidency and called for measures to be taken to stop it, but this call had no consequences.

Diplomats frequently privately recall the fatigue that is beginning to spread among the rest of the EU countries due to the dynamic of constant vetoes that Budapest poses at key moments such as the adoption of new sanctions against Russia or aid to Ukraine, although they concede that in the end the 27 reach solutions that include Hungary and do not hide the reflection on how to overcome these vetoes in the future.

In any case, the sources consulted stress that the weight and scope of the rotations of the EU Council presidency are limited, since the country that assumes this task must take less active positions in the debates and assume, in exchange, the task of moderator and facilitator of agreements, as well as guarantee the continuity of the files in progress.

Also playing against this presidency is the timing of the new community legislature, which in practice will not begin until November, just a month before Hungary’s temporary mandate ends on December 31, which places Budapest at the hands of of a “transitional” presidency.

Before that, the European Parliament will vote – probably in July – on whether to approve the renewal of Von der Leyen at the head of the Community Executive, whose candidacy received the green light from EU leaders on Thursday with a vote against by Orbán, who attacked the “coalition of lies” negotiated by the Popular Party with the Socialists and Liberals.