Europeans are currently spending a lot of time with Viktor Orban. In the capitals, at the Commission or in the European Parliament, attempts are being made to persuade the Hungarian Prime Minister to lift his veto against the granting of 50 billion euros in Community aid to Ukraine over the next four years. There is urgency as Kiev will run out of money in March and European leaders hope to reach an agreement by their next meeting on February 1 in Brussels.
Strategies vary from institution to institution. Six months before the European elections scheduled for June 9th, MPs are playing the balance of power when the municipal council and the twenty-seven prefer less aggressive communication for the time being.
The European Parliament does not take part in the negotiations taking place between the Commission, the Member States and Budapest, but would like to influence the discussions. In this context, he decided to put pressure on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen so that she does not give in to the blackmail of Viktor Orban, who is always ready to monetize his support. This is the subject of a resolution tabled by the conservatives of the EPP, the social democrats of the S&D, the liberals of Renew, the Greens and the radical left of the Left, which is due to be adopted in Strasbourg on Thursday January 18th.
The MPs criticize the municipal council for releasing on December 13, 2023 10.2 billion euros in community funds that had been withdrawn from Hungary because of its violations of the rule of law. In their opinion, Budapest has not completed the reforms demanded by Brussels in return to ensure the independence of the Hungarian judiciary. In their opinion, if Viktor Orban won his case, it was because he let the Europeans announce the start of negotiations on Ukraine's membership of the European Union (EU), despite his veto threats.
“No vending machine”
“In return for the release of ten billion, Orban left the chamber” of the Council on December 14, 2023 and let his counterparts take note of the decision, protested the elected Belgian official Guy Verhofstadt (Renew) in the plenary hall. Before she told Ursula von der Leyen that she would have “serious problems with this European Parliament” if she repeated this type of negotiations.
“Europe is not an ATM,” said her Italian colleague Elisabetta Gualmini (S&D), deploring that Viktor Orban, “Putin’s friend,” is “taking Europe hostage at every turn.” “historically.” In their resolution, MEPs threaten to refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union over the Commission's decision of December 13, 2023. “See you before the court,” said German Green Party member Daniel Freund, ending his intervention.
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