Eurozone ministerial meeting in Budapest at risk of disruption - Politico
Photo: Eurogroup finance ministers meeting in Belgium (Getty Images)
The meeting of eurozone finance ministers scheduled for next month in Budapest may be canceled. The reason for this is growing dissatisfaction with Hungary's political stance on Russia, Politico reports.
The chairman of the meeting, Irish Minister of Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe, will decide by the end of next week whether to continue preparations for the meeting, anonymous EU officials told the agency.
The meeting, scheduled for September 13, has not been canceled, a Eurogroup spokesperson said. However, one of the officials noted that intensive talks are taking place between EU capitals about a possible boycott by ministers, regardless of Donohoe's decision.
The agency reminds that such meetings of finance ministers are usually held monthly, but twice a year in the country holding the EU presidency.
A preparatory meeting of senior officials is scheduled for September 5-6, but the EU Council website does not yet have information on the Eurogroup meeting. Some ministers, including German Finance Minister Christian Lindner and his colleagues from Estonia, Finland, and Lithuania, have already announced that they will not attend the meeting, even if it does take place.
Background
In July, Hungary assumed the EU presidency, after which Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, known for his support of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, visited Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing, and Washington, declaring these visits ‘peace missions’. Notably, Orbán claimed to represent the EU without authorization, which caused concern among other members of the Union.
The EU has already postponed high-level meetings from Budapest because of Orban's position on Ukraine, as well as his policy on relations with Russia and the so-called peace tour.
Poland's Foreign Ministry directly and publicly suggested that Orbán leave the country without EU and NATO membership and instead ally with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
