Have the article read by OpenAI (Beta). Please note that AI translations may take some time to process.On Wednesday, nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán addressed the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg to present the priorities of his country while halfway through holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union – amidst heavy criticism of Hungary’s politics at home and abroad.
Among other things, Orbán made his case for “change” in Europe. He called it the “most serious period” in EU history, with the Ukraine war on its doorsteps, escalating conflict in the Middle East and a “migration crisis” he said could cause the Schengen open border system to “fall apart.”
A day earlier, Orbán – briefly interrupted by a protester – doubled down on his maverick foreign policy, telling reporters Kyiv was headed for defeat and that “we need a new strategy” on Ukraine.
Orbán’s parliament debate, attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has been twice delayed. The European Parliament had been warming up for weeks for an appearance fuelled by the constant tension between the Hungarian government and the MEPs.
EU-Hungary relations
In July, Hungary took over the six-months-long rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union that lasts until the end of the year. Right after assuming the presidency, Orbán went off script: embarking on an unsanctioned Ukraine “peace mission” to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing that sparked fury in Brussels.
Orbán’s rogue diplomacy prompted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to order top officials to skip a string of meetings organised by Hungary’s presidency – an unprecedented de facto boycott.
Reasons for the discontent with Hungary and Orbán include repeated accusations of misusing EU funds, to the initiation of legal proceedings against Hungary over alleged non-compliance with EU law and a recent European Court of Justice (EJC) fine worth millions over these breaches. Another factor disgruntling many is Hungary’s closeness to Russia as well as its repeated vetoes when it comes to EU aid for war-torn Ukraine.
Since returning to lead his country in 2010, Orbán has moved to curb civil rights and tighten his grip on power, repeatedly clashing with Brussels over rule-of-law issues. Many independent media outlets in Hungary have either gone out of business or been turned into pro-government organs, while public media have been forced to toe the line of the ruling right-wing populist and national-conservative Fidesz party.
Ukraine, migration, competitiveness, agriculture and more
In Strasbourg, Orbán opened by depicting a continent in turmoil. With the war in Ukraine on its doorstep and an acute “migration crisis”, he argued that “the European Union needs to change”. He further touched on subjects like Europe’s competitiveness, agriculture, the shortcomings of the green transition and threats to the continent but did not deliver major political messages in his opening speech.
The three-and-a-half hour session became a standoff between the bulk of EU lawmakers denouncing Orbán’s “autocratic rule” – and a hard-right minority who joined him in rejecting the accusations as “absurd”.
Photo-op protests were staged outside the hemicycle by the various political groups. “No cash for corrupt”, read one banner held up by left-wing lawmakers – in a reference to the billions of Euro in EU funds for Hungary currently frozen over rule-of-law concerns.
Swings at Orbán
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking right after the Hungarian premier, harshly criticised him on all fronts: from his silence on Ukraine and closeness to Russian president Vladimir Putin to his migration policy, as well as competitiveness or the energy that Budapest has continued to buy from Russian sources despite the international context.
She denounced Budapest’s hampering of Western efforts to arm Ukraine against Moscow’s offensive. “There is only one path to achieve a just peace for Ukraine and for Europe, we must continue to empower Ukraine’s resistance with political, financial and military support,” she said.
Taking aim at Orbán’s approach to migration, von der Leyen asked the Hungarian premier why he released more than a thousand convicted people smugglers and human traffickers. “This is not fighting illegal migration in Europe,” von der Leyen said in her speech. “This is just throwing problems over your neighbour’s fence.”
She described a Hungarian visa scheme for Russian nationals as “a back door for foreign interference”.
Hungary has followed the Netherlands’ move last month to request an opt-out from the EU’s common migration and asylum policy. Budapest wrote to the EU’s home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson on Monday requesting an exemption from the rules, Hungary’s minister for European Union affairs, János Bóka, said on Facebook.
Also speaking in Strasbourg, Slovak European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič admitted that this was one of the most politically challenging debates he had ever experienced in the European Parliament.
“I think that it is just underlining how many problems, how many open issues, how many difficulties and challenges are on the table,” he said. He pointed out that the EU had shown the utmost solidarity during the recent floods in Hungary and that the Union had always stood by the country.
He added that solidarity must be mutual and that in many areas the EU needs Hungary as “part of the team”, whether in the challenges that Orbán also spoke about, such as migration, but also in the areas of competitiveness, economic growth or circumventing sanctions.
“But also we need you to be a part of the team to face the challenges clearly underscored by President von der Leyen, especially on Ukraine and on migration,” Šefčovič explained.
EPP, S&D, Liberals, Greens speak out against Orbán
Representatives of almost all political parties in the European Parliament were extremely critical of the Hungarian PM, following von der Leyen’s lead.
The leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber, criticised the Hungarian leader for defining himself as a true conservative. Orbán’s Fidesz party used to be part of the EPP, the largest group in the European Parliament.
The leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Iratxe García Pérez, accused Orbán of betraying the Christian values of love for one’s neighbour, compassion and human dignity with his immigration policies and against the anti-LGBTQI+ community.
Valérie Hayer, who leads the liberal Renew Europe group also regretted that Orbán proclaims a defence of families while “persecuting all families that do not fit with his narrow vision of the world”.
“You have turned the Hungarian democracy into a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy. And on top of that, you are the servant of a brutal and dangerous dictator, Vladimir Putin. You are not a strong leader, Mr Orbán, because what you are doing is weak,” said Greens-leader Terry Reintke.
Hungarian opposition-leader-turned-MEP, Péter Magyar (EPP), lamented that Hungary under Orbán’s rule “has gone from a bright star to what is officially the poorest and most corrupt country in the European Union”.
According to the Corruption Perceptions Index 2023 published by Transparency International in January, Hungary has retained its ranking as the bloc’s most corrupt country for the second time in a row. The NGO’s index ranks countries based on their public sector’s resilience against corruption.
Some in Orbán’s corner
The kindest words towards Orbán came from the right-wing Patriots for Europe (PfE) group, which was established in late June and counts Orbán’s Fidesz party among its founding members. PfE dismissed the criticism as political persecution and propaganda for his commitment to traditional values.
First Vice-President of Patriots for Europe Group in the European Parliament, Hungarian Kinga Gál, accused von der Leyen and the other political groups of “hypocrisy”, as well as destroying the pillars of the European Union.
The leader of the Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Italian MEP Nicola Procaccini, told Orbán that they share many of the points of his programme, but warned him of “external enemies” such as China, Russia, Iran or North Korea, which “are the antithesis of any Hungarian, European or Western patriotism”.
Croatian ECR-MEP Stephen Nikola Bartulica defended Orbán, saying he had become a “political target” in the European Parliament because he dared to defend Christianity and advocate a “God-fearing” Europe. However, he disagreed with Orbán’s stance that the EU should “focus” on Serbia’s membership.
During his speech, Orbán has argued that hard-right electoral gains from Italy to the Netherlands and Austria – and the rising influence of his Patriots – show the political climate in Europe is slowly but surely shifting in his favour.
This article is published twice a week. The content is based on news by agencies participating in the enr.