The Member States’ ambassadors to the European Union (Coreper) are expected to discuss the role of the six-monthly Presidency of the EU Council on Wednesday 10 July, after initiatives taken by the Hungarian government in the field of foreign affairs offended several national delegations.
Traditionally, a country holding the Council Presidency presents its political priorities to the various Council configurations at the start of the six-month period. This time, at the request of a delegation, the Hungarian Presidency is expected to explain the reasons behind the initiative of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, who visited Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing during the first week of the Hungarian Presidency, as part of what he described as a “mission for peace” (see EUROPE 13447/1).
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, were quick to point out that Mr Orbán had no mandate from the EU and was only representing his country in the discussions with the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and China. On the European side, there is also criticism for the lack of prior consultation with the European partners and the Allies. It has been recalled that the European Council, including Hungary, officially endorses the quest for peace based on the principles of international law and Ukraine’s peace formula.
The Hungarian authorities do not dispute the absence of an EU mandate, but stress that achieving an end to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine requires political initiatives, even if it means contradicting, in Mr Orbán’s, “the bureaucratic nonsense of Brussels”. This approach was welcomed last weekend by the Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico.
However, some Member States believe that Hungary is confusing the issue by using the logo of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council on videos documenting Mr Orbán’s ‘mission for peace’. In one of them, he praised China’s position as “the only power committed to peace” since the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
On Monday, three days after Mr Orbán’s visit to Moscow, Russia bombed the largest children’s hospital in Kyiv, killing 33 people and injuring 137. Mr Borrell reiterated his call for Ukraine to be supplied with air defence systems and for the Russians responsible for war crimes to be held accountable for their actions. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)