MEPs debate Hungary’s Presidency programme with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán

On Wednesday, MEPs discussed Hungary’s priorities for its six-month Council Presidency, which started on 1 July, with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola noted in her opening statement that the Hungarian Presidency comes at a time when the EU is taking “significant steps forward” including “supporting Ukraine, strengthening European competitiveness, and building a more stable, secure Europe”. She recalled that the Parliament is the house of democracy, “where the rule of law and freedom of expression are sacrosanct”, and where “we may not always agree, but we will always give space for the respectful sharing of views”.

“The EU needs to change,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said, adding that the Hungarian Presidency aims to be the voice and catalyst for change. According to Mr Orbán, the situation of the EU is far more serious than in 2011, during the first Hungarian EU Presidency, citing the war in Ukraine, escalating conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, migration, risks to the Schengen area, and Europe losing its global competitiveness.

Mr Orbán pledged that Hungary would be an honest and constructive broker holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council, including on the pending 52 legislative files that need to be finalised, and is ready to start inter-institutional negotiations with the Parliament.

He highlighted competitiveness as a key issue for the Presidency, noting that the EU’s economic growth in the last two decades has been significantly lower than in China and US, with the EU’s share of global trade also decreasing. Pointing to energy prices as a key obstacle, Mr Orbán said that “as a result of moving away from Russian energy sources, the EU has lost significant GDP growth”. “We should not fall into the illusion that the green transition in itself offers a solution to the problem,” he argued, adding that decarbonisation has led to slowing down of productivity and the loss of jobs.

On migration, Mr Orbán warned that “without external hotspots we cannot protect Europeans from illegal migration”. “The EU asylum system is simply not working. Illegal migration has led to increasing anti-semitism, violence against women and homophobia,” he claimed. He proposed holding regular “Schengen summits”, and insisted that Bulgaria and Romania should become full members of the free-movement area by the end of the year.

On enlargement, Mr Orbán called for accelerating the accession of the Western Balkan countries and stressed that “without Serbia joining, we cannot stabilise the Balkans”.

The Hungarian Prime Minister argued for an EU defence industry, a farmer-friendly, competitive agriculture sector, and for the importance of the EU cohesion policy. “Cohesion funds are not charity nor a donation, it is one of the biggest forms of investment policy in the EU, and it is a pre-requisite to balance out the single market,” he said.

Response by the European Commission President

Replying to Prime Minister Orbán, Ms von der Leyen affirmed the EU’s commitment to support Hungary after the recent floods and outlined three key priorities: Ukraine, competitiveness, and migration. She criticised Hungary’s stance on Russia, deploring that “one member state in particular” is still trying to buy fossil fuels from Russia despite the EU’s commitment to be energy independent. On migration, she condemned Hungary’s decision to release convicted smugglers and questioned its visa policies, such as inviting Russian nationals into the EU without additional checks, warning these “make Hungary a security risk, not only for Hungary but for all member states.” Emphasising the country’s potential within the EU, she urged it to “serve the cause of European unity” rather than diverging from shared values. (Her full speech is available here.)

Speakers from political groups

A majority of speakers in Parliament criticised the Hungarian Prime Minister for his record since the country assumed the presidency of the Council, as well as for turning Hungary into a hybrid regime, undermining Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression, and collaborating with illiberal regimes in Moscow and Beijing. Most speakers expressed their concern about the complete lack of regard for EU values demonstrated by the Hungarian Prime Minister, as well as allegations of rampant corruption in Hungary. Many MEPs expressed their solidarity with the Hungarian people suffering from their government’s restrictions on judicial independence, media freedom, and civil society. Several argued that it was a mistake to give the rotating presidency to Hungary and called for a suspension of its voting rights in the Council under the Article 7 procedure.

Other speakers disagreed, commending the Hungarian government for its stance on migration and for placing competitiveness at the top of its priorities. They lauded Hungary as a defender of traditional values and took the opportunity to argue that the green transition policies and cumbersome EU rules are destroying Europe’s economy.

You can catch up with the debate here.