Hungary takes over temporary presidency of the European Union

Hungary takes over the temporary presidency of the EU (European Union) this Monday (1st July 2024). With the slogan “make Europe great again”, inspired by former US President Donald Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is known for his clashes with Brussels.

The Presidency of the Council of the EU is shared between the national governments of the member states, which take turns leading the group every six months. Belgium held the position during the first half of this year, and has now been replaced by Hungary, which will hold the position until December 31st. After that, it will be Poland’s turn.

The host country chairs meetings of the Council of the EU, one of the bloc’s main decision-making bodies; is responsible for negotiating consensus among its members; and mediating legislative agreements with the European Parliament.

On June 9, the EU elected a new parliament. As the bloc is in a transition phase, analysts believe that Budapest’s actions should be restricted, despite the fact that many of the legislators are aligned with Orbán’s conservative ideology.

“There will be only a small influence on the legislative agenda. This starts much later, possibly later in the year, possibly early next year.”, explained Pavel Havlicek, a researcher at the Association for International Affairs, to the news agency Reuters.

Hungary’s priorities include promoting the Western Balkans’ accession to the EU, combating illegal migration and strengthening the bloc’s economic competitiveness.

Even with expectations of limited action, before passing the baton, Brussels rushed to impose new sanctions on Russia and moved forward with negotiations for Ukraine’s accession, measures contrary to those advocated by Orbán, who maintains ties with Moscow.

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