Following visits to Moscow and Beijing on "peacekeeping missions" by Hungary's EU presidency, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Budapest received "unprecedented" verbal criticism from representatives of other bloc countries at a meeting on Wednesday, which some described as a "yellow card," Politico reports, citing sources, UNN writes.
Details
"At a meeting on Wednesday, Hungary's EU representative Balint Odor received 'unprecedented' verbal criticism from his Brussels counterparts over the way Budapest began its turn at the helm of the EU Council. The meeting lasted more than two hours, and the only country that did not take the floor was Slovakia," the newspaper writes.
"It's unprecedented for the chairman to be reprimanded by everyone else," said one senior EU diplomat.
After Budapest took over the EU presidency last week, Hungarian leader Viktor Orban went on self-proclaimed "peacekeeping missions" to Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing, and Washington.
Hungary claims that it does not know what is going on.
At a packed press conference in Brussels on Wednesday, Hungary's EU Affairs Minister János Boca said that the discussions "were not held on behalf of the EU, they were not held on the basis of a mandate from European institutions, they were not held on behalf of the European Union or any of its institutions.
"The prime minister is aware of the responsibilities that come with the presidency of the EU Council, and in [the spirit of] this responsibility, he briefed the president of the European Council and the heads of state and government on these visits," he said.
But EU ambassadors on Wednesday rejected these claims, supporting many of their leaders who have already publicly condemned the trips.
The envoys paid attention to "the timing and sequence of the meetings, [the] use of presidential hashtags, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's reaction," the EU diplomat said.
"The lines were clearly and deliberately blurred. And Orbán went against the letter and spirit of the European Council's conclusions, thereby damaging the unity of the EU," the diplomat added, referring to the summits of EU leaders.
Another EU diplomat was surprised that "it took nine days for the Hungarian presidency to lose every shred of credibility," adding that "Orban's actions serve neither the EU nor peace. They play into the hands of Putin and his military project. At this stage, the Hungarian slogan 'making Europe great again' is more about making Russia great again.
What can be done?
"However, European capitals are trying to go beyond publicly condemning Hungary's dishonest presidency," the newspaper writes.
"In fact, the options are limited," the EU official said. Changing the order of the presidency or shortening Hungary's six-month presidency may have been options at one point, but now it is legally difficult because the presidency is already underway, the official said.
Former Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said that the EU Court of Justice would "rule against" such steps, while "other countries would be afraid to set a precedent.
At Wednesday's meeting, no ambassador raised the possibility of revoking the presidency, several EU diplomats said.
"But this means that there is little anger," the newspaper writes.
Estonian MEP Riho Terras is gathering support in the European Parliament to call on the bloc's top leadership to activate Article 7 of the EU Treaty against Hungary. This is the most serious political sanction that can be imposed on a member state and involves suspending its right to vote on EU decisions. But it is also a nuclear option, which European capitals have so far shied away from, the newspaper points out.
"He's smart," the EU official said, referring to Orban. - "He knows exactly how far he can go without risking immediate retaliation.
Instead, several EU ambassadors threatened "practical consequences" if Orban continues on his current path, two other EU diplomats said.
"The most immediate option would be to boycott the informal ministerial meetings organized by Budapest. Only eight countries (including Hungary) sent a minister to the first EU Council meeting convened on Hungary's behalf on Tuesday. Several EU ambassadors on Wednesday suggested boycotting the informal meeting of foreign ministers in Budapest in late August.
Hungarian Minister Boca downplayed this possibility during his press conference, saying that Hungary had not received any indication that other member states would not send ministers to the meetings.
But this does not mean that retaliation in the future is ruled out, EU diplomats warned. One described Wednesday's meeting as a "yellow card.
Given how quickly the situation with Budapest has deteriorated in just the first two weeks of its presidency, no one rules out an even tougher response from Brussels if Orban crosses more "red lines," as, for example, in his relations with former US President Donald Trump, the publication writes.
"Brussels may still consider showing Budapest a 'red card'. For now, the game is still on," the newspaper notes.