“Hungary is currently a problem for the European Union; they contribute nothing constructive to its actions. Therefore, the Hungarian presidency will be a period of stagnation, a freezing of European institutions, with the hope that something positive and constructive will begin with the Polish presidency in January next year,” said MEP Janusz Lewandowski. He noted that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s speech on Wednesday at the European Parliament, in which he outlined the priorities for Hungary’s EU Council presidency, sparked a heated debate. Members of the European Parliament and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Orbán of hypocrisy and criticized his close ties to the regime in Moscow.
“Hungary’s presidency will not bring anything significant or constructive. It’s more about waiting for this presidency to end so that the Polish presidency can begin. Indeed, great hopes are tied to the Polish presidency and Commissioner Serafin in the European Parliament. I hope we will meet those expectations,” Lewandowski said.
Every six months, an EU member state takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. During this period, the country leads the institution’s meetings at all levels and oversees the EU legislative process. Since July 1, Hungary has held the presidency, taking over from Belgium, marking Hungary’s second term in this role. Their presidency will last until December 31, after which Poland will take over.
Notably, Hungary is the first country holding the EU presidency while under the procedure outlined in Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, which concerns violations of the EU’s fundamental values. Hungary’s presidency program focuses on seven priorities: competitiveness, defense, enlargement policy, combating illegal migration, cohesion policy, agriculture, and addressing demographic challenges. On Wednesday, October 9, Viktor Orbán, accused of violating democratic values and maintaining close ties with Vladimir Putin, presented these priorities at the European Parliament, triggering a heated debate.
“We witnessed a very arrogant display by Prime Minister Orbán, and I was surprised by the ovation from the right side of the Parliament, including from the Polish right-wing, given that he is Putin’s friend,” Lewandowski commented.
During his speech at the European Parliament, Orbán emphasized that the “EU must change,” pointing to threats such as the war in Ukraine, escalating conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, illegal migration, threats to the Schengen zone, and Europe’s declining global competitiveness. He announced efforts to revise the EU’s migration policy, stating, “The EU asylum system simply doesn’t work. Illegal migration has led to rising anti-Semitism, violence against women, and homophobia.” Orbán also stressed the need to improve Europe’s economic competitiveness, noting that EU economic growth over the past two decades has lagged behind that of China and the United States, and the EU’s share of global trade has also diminished. Citing energy prices as a key obstacle, Orbán said that “by abandoning Russian energy sources, the EU has lost significant GDP growth.” He added that decarbonization has slowed the productivity of the EU economy and caused job losses.
The Hungarian prime minister also advocated for strengthening European security policy and developing the defense industry, along with supporting a competitive agricultural sector. Regarding EU enlargement, Orbán called for accelerating the accession of Western Balkan countries, particularly focusing on Serbia, where pro-Russian and anti-European sentiments are strong. “Without Serbia’s accession, there will be no stability in the Balkans,” Orbán said, notably omitting any mention of Ukraine, Moldova, or Georgia in the context of EU enlargement. He did, however, state that Hungary would be a fair and constructive mediator during its presidency, especially regarding 52 pending legislative documents awaiting completion.
“Regardless of the official content of the Hungarian presidency, I know that in areas where the right of initiative lies—namely with the European Commission—nothing substantial will be introduced, as it could be distorted by the Hungarian presidency. I consider this to be an uninteresting period for the life of EU institutions, but it seems as though they want to wait out this Hungarian presidency. Not much is expected from it, but great hopes are tied to the Polish presidency, which will kick-start legislative initiatives,” Lewandowski predicts.
After Viktor Orbán’s speech in the European Parliament, some speakers praised him for his firm stance on migration and placing competitiveness at the top of the priority list. However, the majority criticized the Hungarian prime minister for his actions since Hungary assumed the EU Council presidency, pointing to his undermining of Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression, cooperation with regimes in Moscow and Beijing, transforming Hungary into a hybrid regime, and opposition to common European values such as judicial independence, media freedom, and civil society. Some MEPs argued that granting Hungary the rotating presidency was a mistake and called for the suspension of Hungary’s voting rights in the EU Council under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also sharply criticized Orbán. She condemned Hungary’s stance on Russia, pointing out that “one member state” continues to purchase fossil fuels from Russia despite the EU’s commitment to energy independence. Regarding migration, she criticized Hungary’s visa policy and its invitation to Russian citizens to enter the EU without additional checks, warning that “this makes Hungary a security risk for all member states.” She also noted that while Orbán spoke about security, he made no mention of the war in Ukraine. “We Europeans have different histories and speak different languages, but in no European language does peace mean submission, nor does sovereignty mean occupation,” von der Leyen remarked.
“Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—playing on sentiments of Hungary’s lost greatness—interprets sovereignty much like Jarosław Kaczyński does, meaning the ability to govern the country according to one’s whims, while violating the common European rules that both Hungarians and Poles agreed to in 2004. This is a system that is friendly to Putin, aiming to divide the EU, particularly in its stance on the war in Ukraine, and to spread the authoritarianism that Orbán admires. And this trend is indeed spreading; we’re seeing worrying electoral signals from Austria, the eastern German states, and Slovakia, whose prime minister intends to travel to Moscow. Fortunately, Prime Minister Fico does not intend to present himself like Orbán, who traveled to Moscow and Beijing as a representative of the European Union without any mandate to do so. This was a massive overreach,” Lewandowski emphasized. “Hungary is currently a problem for the European Union, contributing nothing constructive to its actions. Therefore, the Hungarian presidency will be a period of freezing European institutions, with the hope that something positive and constructive will happen with the Polish presidency in January next year.”
Hungary has been the only EU member state opposing military aid to Ukraine and its accession to the EU, and has obstructed the imposition of further sanctions on Russia. In early July, shortly after taking over the EU presidency, Viktor Orbán visited Kyiv, and a few days later traveled to Moscow, suggesting peace talks and a ceasefire with Russia to Ukrainian authorities. However, according to a recent commentary by the Polish Institute of International Affairs, Orbán not only failed to consult this proposal with EU partners but even concealed his plans for these visits from them. As a result, EU institutions refuted any claims that these visits took place on behalf of the entire Union.
Observers note that Hungary’s actions against democratic standards, its unilateral government actions, anti-EU rhetoric, and close ties with Putin’s regime will heavily impact the effectiveness of Hungary’s presidency in the EU Council. “Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s intention is to use the presidency to strengthen his government’s position at home, push his vision of EU development, and claim to represent the entire EU to external partners. It is in Poland’s interest to oppose Hungary’s use of the presidency to discredit the EU and limit aid to Ukraine,” the Polish Institute of International Affairs notes in a recent analysis.
