Hungary seeks to avoid controversy during six-month EU presidency

1^er July, Hungary takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. A presidency that is expected to be a turning point, as far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is willingly pro-Russian, has in recent years shown increasing signs of ill will towards his European partners, particularly in the Ukrainian issue.

The Hungarian presidency is therefore showing its desire to move forward on much more consensual subjects. The Hungarian Ambassador to the European Union, Balint Odor, presented his country’s priorities for the next six months and they primarily concern the European economy: “Europe is losing competitiveness, this is nothing new. We must try to increase European economic power. This will be the central topic of the informal European summit in Budapest in November.”he pleaded.

There are also more sensitive issues, such as support for Ukraine or respect for the rule of law in Hungary. But according to Balint Ablonczy, who runs an independent media group in Budapest, his country will have every interest in showing itself to be constructive at the head of the Council of the European Union. “There could be some kind of compromisehe assures. On the one hand, the Commission and its partners do not talk about the rule of law issues at all, on the other hand, Hungary behaves like an honest negotiator who will not veto and will not create any major problems on Ukraine during the next six months.”

The slogan of this Hungarian presidency remains, which is raising eyebrows in Brussels: “Make Europe Great Again”. Like an echo of that of Donald Trump in the United States, who will attempt a return to the White House at the end of the year. At the very moment when Hungary will conclude its European presidency.