The informal meeting of European energy ministers on 15 and 16 July (see other news) was the first informal meeting following the European Commission’s announcement on Monday 15 that it would not be sending any Commissioners to these meetings under the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council (see EUROPE 13453/8).
This decision was taken in reaction to the ‘mission for peace’ initiated by the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, which included a visit to Russia.
Mr Orbán’s initiative had also ignited the anger of many Member States, justifying the decision of several national delegations not to be represented at ministerial level during these informal exchanges.
At this meeting devoted to EU energy policies, only four ministers were present (Austria, Belgium, Slovakia and Bulgaria). However, this did not upset the Hungarian Energy Minister, Csaba Lantos, as he explained to Agence Europe on Tuesday 16 July.
“We’re having a very hot summer and it’s a good time to go on holiday”, he joked.
“We have some distinguished speakers, with very high-level international considerations, so I’m not at all sad”, he continued, referring in particular to the presence of Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency.
He also reiterated the Presidency’s determination to act as an “honest broker” during its six-month mandate.
When asked about the Commission’s position when she arrived at the meeting, Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Deputy Director of DG Energy, denied that she had been asked to represent the Commission at the meeting alongside Ditte Juul Jorgensen, Director General for Energy.
The Bulgarian Energy Minister, Vladimir Malinov, said that there was good representation at ministerial level for an informal meeting and explained that this would have been more problematic in the context of a formal EU Council.
A European diplomatic source shared his views on the organisation of the informal meetings under the Hungarian Presidency, which he considered to be “excellent”, mentioning in particular the useful contribution of guest speakers to the debates between ministers.
The day before, the Hungarian Minister for European Affairs, János Bóka, criticised the Commission’s decision via the social network X, saying that the Commission “cannot cherry pick institutions and Member States it wants to cooperate with”. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)