Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán addressed the European Parliament this week, outlining his country's priorities for its presidency of the Council of the EU. Met with crushing criticism, he assured that political changes in the EU member states show that the climate in the bloc may sooner or later change in his favor, summarizes the European Newsroom - a platform for cooperation between 23 European news agencies, among which is BTA.
Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán addressed the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg on Wednesday to outline the priorities of his country, whose rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union is halfway through – amid severe criticism of Hungary's policies at home and abroad.
Among other things, Orbán presented his arguments “for change” in Europe. He called the current period “the most serious“ in the history of the EU, with the war in Ukraine on its doorstep, the escalating conflict in the Middle East and the “migration crisis”, which he believes could lead to “collapse” of the Schengen system of open borders.
A day earlier, Orban, briefly interrupted by a protester, further staked his independent foreign policy, telling reporters that Kiev was headed for defeat and that “we need a new strategy” for Ukraine.
Parliamentary debates featuring Orbán, attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, were postponed twice. The European Parliament had been preparing for weeks for the appearance of the Hungarian prime minister, with the constant tension between the Hungarian government and MEPs adding fuel to the fire.
Relations between the EU and Hungary
In July, Hungary took over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union until the end of the year. Immediately afterwards, Orbán went off-script: he accepted an uncoordinated “peacekeeping mission” for Ukraine in Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing, which caused anger in Brussels.
Orbán's self-union diplomacy led European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to order senior officials to skip a series of meetings organized by the Hungarian presidency - an unprecedented de facto boycott.
Among the reasons for discontent with Hungary and Orbán are repeated accusations of misuse of EU funds, the initiation of legal proceedings against Hungary for alleged non-compliance with EU law and a recent fine of millions of euros by the Court of Justice of the EU for these violations. Another factor causing discontent among many is Hungary's closeness to Russia, as well as its repeated vetoes when it comes to EU aid to war-torn Ukraine.
Since returning to power in 2010, Orbán has taken measures to curtail civil rights and tighten his grip on power, repeatedly clashing with Brussels over rule of law issues. Many independent media outlets in Hungary were either closed down or turned into pro-government bodies, and public media were forced to toe the line of the ruling right-wing populist and national-conservative FIDES party.
Ukraine, migration, competitiveness, agriculture and others
Orbán began his speech in Strasbourg by describing a continent in turmoil. With the war in Ukraine on the horizon and the acute “migration crisis” he argues that “The European Union must change”.
In addition, Orbán touched on topics such as Europe's competitiveness, agriculture, the shortcomings of the green transition and threats to the continent, but did not deliver important political messages in his opening speech.
The three-and-a-half-hour meeting turned into a confrontation between the majority of European MPs, condemning the “authoritarian rule” of Orbán, and the far-right minority who joined him in rejecting the accusations “as absurd”.
Various political groups organized protests in front of the plenary hall. “No money for the corrupt,” read a banner held up by left-wing MPs over billions of euros in EU funds for Hungary, which are currently frozen over rule of law concerns.
Criticism of Orbán
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who spoke immediately after the Hungarian prime minister, sharply criticized him on all fronts: from his silence on Ukraine and his closeness with Russian President Vladimir Putin to his migration policy to competitiveness and the energy sources that Budapest continues to buy from Moscow despite the international context.
Von der Leyen condemned Hungary's obstruction of Western efforts to arm Ukraine in the face of a Russian offensive. “There is only one way to achieve a just peace for Ukraine and for Europe, we must continue to empower the Ukrainian resistance with political, financial and military support,” she said.
Taking aim at Orbán's approach to migration, Von der Leyen asked the Hungarian prime minister why he had released more than a thousand convicted human traffickers. “This is not a fight against illegal migration in Europe. It's just transferring problems over your neighbor's fence, she stressed.
Von der Leyen described Hungary's visa scheme for Russian citizens as a “back door for foreign interference”.
Hungary followed the lead of the Netherlands last month in asking not to participate in the EU's common migration and asylum policy. Budapest wrote to European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson on Monday asking for an exception to be made for it, said on "Facebook" the Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs János Boca.
Also speaking in Strasbourg, European Commission Vice-President Maros Šefčovič admitted that it was one of the most challenging political debates he had ever attended in the European Parliament.
„I think this only emphasizes how many problems, how many open questions, how many difficulties and challenges, there are on the table”, comments Sefcovic. The Slovak pointed out that the EU showed the greatest solidarity during the recent floods in Hungary and that the union has always supported the country.
Solidarity must be mutual and in many areas the EU needs Hungary as “part of the team”, be it to tackle challenges that Orbán has also talked about, such as migration, but also in the area of competitiveness, economic growth or the circumvention of sanctions, Sefcovic noted.
„But we also need you to be part of the team to face the challenges clearly highlighted by President von der Leyen, especially on Ukraine and migration,” he added.
Conservatives, socialists, liberals and the Greens criticized Orbán
Representatives of almost all political parties in the European Parliament were extremely critical of the Hungarian Prime Minister, following Von der Leyen's example.
The chairman of the European People's Party (EPP) Manfred Weber criticized the Hungarian leader for defining himself as a true conservative. Orbán's FIDES party was part of the EPP - the largest group in the European Parliament.
The head of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Iraçe García Pérez, for her part, accused Orbán of betraying Christian values such as love for neighbor, compassion and human dignity with his policies on immigration and against the LGBTQI+ community.
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Valerie Aye, who chairs the liberal group Renew Europe, also expressed regret that Orbán is proclaiming the protection of families as the highest value and at the same time "persecuting all families that do not fit into his narrow vision of the world“.
„You have turned 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 weakness,” said Greens leader Terry Reintke.
Hungarian opposition leader turned MEP - Peter Magyar (EPP), regretted that Hungary under Orbán's rule “turned from a bright star into officially the poorest and most corrupt country in the European Union”.
According to the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index published by “Transparency Without Borders“ in January, Hungary retained its position as the bloc's most corrupt country for the second time in a row. This NGO's index ranks countries based on the resilience of their public sector against corruption.
Some supported Orbán
The kindest words addressed to Orbán came from “Patriots for Europe”. The right-wing group, which was formed in late June with the Hungarian prime minister's party among its founders, dismissed criticism as political persecution and propaganda over his commitment to traditional values.
The first vice-chairman of the group “Patriots for Europe“ in the European Parliament - the Hungarian Kinga Gal, accused Von der Leyen and other political groups of “hypocrisy”, as well as of destroying the pillars of the European Union.
The leader of the European Conservatives and Reformers (ECR), the Italian MEP Nicola Procaccini, told Orbán that his group shared many points of his program, but warned him about “external enemies” such as China, Russia, Iran or North Korea, which “are the antithesis of any Hungarian, European or Western patriotism”.
Croatian EKR MEP Steven Nikola Bartulica defended Orbán, saying he had become a “political target” in the European Parliament because he dared to defend Christianity and advocate for a “God-fearing“ Europe. However, he disagreed with the Hungarian Prime Minister's position that the EU should “focus“ on Serbia's membership.
In his speech, Orban argued that the electoral gains of the extreme right - from Italy to the Netherlands to Austria – and the growing influence of his patriots show that the political climate in Europe is slowly but surely changing in his favor.