EU considers shortening Hungary's presidency amid Orbán's controversial diplomacy

The Politico portal on Tuesday revealed that, in relation to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's recent activities, EU member states may consider an unprecedented step of shortening Hungary's presidency in the EU Council and transferring the chairmanship to Poland as early as autumn 2024.

As emphasized, EU member states are increasingly irritated by Orbán's behaviour. Last week, the Prime Minister of Hungary conducted several unannounced visits as part of—as he himself called it—a "peace mission."

The day after assuming the six-month presidency in the EU Council on July 1, Orbán visited Kyiv. It was his first trip to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February 2022. The meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky was well received in the West. Still, three days later, the Hungarian Prime Minister visited Moscow for talks with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, which drew sharp criticism from allies.

On Monday, the head of the Hungarian government paid another unannounced visit, this time to Beijing, from where he flew to the United States for the NATO summit in Washington. Although representatives of EU institutions emphasized that Orbán does not have the mandate to represent the EU's position, experts consulted by PAP noted that during meetings in Moscow and Beijing, the Hungarian Prime Minister was treated as an envoy of the entire Community.

There is growing annoyance over what they see as Orbán using his turn in the rotating Council chair to promote Hungary’s worldview. It’s one that’s been so often at odds with the EU majority, especially on aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, noted Politico.

"Orbán is acting as a ‘useful idiot’ for attempts to undermine the unity of the EU," - assessed one of the EU diplomats, quoted by the portal.

On Wednesday, ambassadors of member countries will address the Hungarian Prime Minister's visits to Kyiv, Moscow, and Beijing in the context of Hungary's presidency. - The tour dubbed a "peace mission" by Orbán is increasingly raising concerns in capitals that "something is happening behind their backs and against their will" - said an EU diplomat wishing to remain anonymous in an interview with PAP on Monday.

As assessed on the X portal by Daniel Hegedus, a Hungarian analyst at the German Marshall Fund (GMF) think tank, member states have the option to shorten Hungary's presidency in the EU Council and transfer it to Poland from September 1, which should generally take over the chairmanship in the EU at the beginning of the following year.

According to Hegedus, France, Germany, and Poland should initiate such a move with the support of a large group of member states. The GMF analyst added that this could also be facilitated by the tension between Orbán and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after the new alliance in the EP, Patrioti for Europe, took over MEPs from the European Conservatives and Reformists, to which Meloni's Brothers of Italy party belongs.

At the beginning of the week, at an unofficial meeting of EU state ministers responsible for competition in Budapest, only five out of 27 economy ministers appeared. The remaining states were represented at a lower level - journalist Rikard Jozwiak of Radio Free Europe reported on the X portal.

In late June, a few days before Hungary took over the presidency in the EU Council, the British daily "Financial Times" wrote about the possibility of member states boycotting ministerial meetings in Hungary.