EU Commission President cancels commissioners' visit to Hungary
Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Getty Images)
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen canceled the visit of the College of Commissioners to Hungary, according to European Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer.
He notes that in light of recent events related to the Hungarian presidency, the President of the European Commission decided to represent the body at the level of senior civil servants only during informal meetings of the Council. Instead, the College's visit to the presidency will not take place.
In light of recent developments marking the start of the Hungarian Presidency, the President has decided that @EU_Commission will be represented at senior civil servant level only during informal meetings of the Council.
— Eric Mamer (@MamerEric) July 15, 2024
The College visit to the Presidency will not take place.
In response, Hungarian Minister of European Affairs Bóka János says on his page in X that as the head of the rotating EU presidency, Budapest remains committed to sincere cooperation with the institutions of the European bloc and member states.
"The European Commission cannot cherry pick institutions & MSs it wants to cooperate with. Are all Commission decisions now based on political considerations? Bóka writes.
The @HU24EU remains committed to sincere cooperation w/ #EU Member States & institutions. They have been invited to participate in Presidency events aimed at addressing common challenges. This task and responsibility is shared by all Member States and institutions. 1/2
— Bóka János (@JanosBoka_HU) July 15, 2024
Hungary's EU presidency and Orbán's peace mission
On July 1, Hungary began its presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will last until the end of this year.
A few days later, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, known for his pro-Russian stance, went on visits to several countries on a so-called peacekeeping mission.
Thus, on July 2, Orbán visited Kyiv, where he suggested that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stop resisting the Russian invasion, lay down his arms, and agree to so-called peace talks.
On July 5, Orbán arrived in Moscow and held talks with Putin, and then went on his so-called peace mission to China.
The EU leadership criticized these trips because they were not coordinated with Brussels. Orban was also not authorized to speak on behalf of the entire bloc.
Six countries have announced their intention to boycott EU Council meetings during Hungary's EU presidency.
EU Foreign Ministers plan to boycott the summit in Budapest in August.
The German Foreign Ministry said that Hungary's presidency has already caused a lot of damage.
The European Parliament called for the termination of Budapest's EU presidency, as the Hungarian authorities are acting against the interests of the bloc.
