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Vienna – Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) appeals regarding the excitement about the Hungarian EU Council Presidency to “calm down.” Regarding certain “ego trips” that Viktor Orbán had made to Russia, China, and the USA, one must not remain silent, but a “boycott” of the EU Presidency would be exaggerated. After the change of government in Great Britain, the Foreign Minister hopes for an intensification of relations at bilateral and EU level.
Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council of States for six months. However, with uncoordinated visits to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, China’s leader Xi Jinping, or the Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán earned significant criticism from other EU states. In response to Orbán’s behavior, EU Chief Diplomat Josep Borrell announced that an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers planned for the end of August would be held in Brussels instead of Budapest.
Schallenberg “acknowledged” this but also stated in an APA interview: “I know that the majority of my colleagues within the European Union were against it.” He agrees with Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer (also ÖVP) that critical dialogue with Orbán must be sought, but the excitement should not be exaggerated. “If we give in to the spiral of excitement, it will benefit Orbán the most.” This creates the impression that Orbán has more influence than is actually the case as the Prime Minister of a medium-sized country. After all, he did not undertake the trips on behalf of the European Union.
Moreover, it is necessary to distinguish the following regarding Hungarian performance: “What is done for the gallery at home and how they behave in Brussels?” Hungary supports many decisions within the EU. In the end, Orbán will also adhere to the rules because he would end up empty-handed with a “completely failed EU Council Presidency.”
Schallenberg did not want to judge to what extent the change of power in Great Britain from the conservative Tories to the social-democratic Labour Party is a consequence of the experiences after Brexit, i.e., the UK’s exit from the EU. “That is hard to answer, because fundamentally, the British are always misled about what Brexit actually means. We had a pandemic, we have the Russian war of aggression. That means there are many factors that can be described as causes of the problems. And thus conceal that, in many places, Brexit is perhaps the real trigger.”
However, he hopes that cooperation with the new government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer can be further intensified. There is much to be done. “Great Britain has fallen out of the entire legal framework of the internal market and there are still many gaps that we have by no means filled.” The Austrian government is ready to resolve this bilaterally as quickly as possible. “Great Britain remains an important partner in Europe, remains a European state. We were never friends of Brexit, but we should now simply strive to make the bilateral relationship as sensible and efficient as possible.”
Cooperation in the field of foreign and security policy should also be pursued. “Why can’t we find a solution that allows the British to participate in EU missions if they wish, bear a corresponding share of the costs, and we bind them as closely as possible to us?” Far more can be done than has been done so far. Having feelings of revenge because of Brexit “benefits no one,” Schallenberg warned. “We have the closest economic ties. London is one of the largest financial centers today. We have 30,000 Austrians living there. So, I believe we have a natural interest in making these relationships pragmatic and efficient.” (08/07/2024)