In accordance with the traditions of the European Union, the prime minister of the country holding the rotating presidency presents the programme of the presidency in a speech to the first plenary session of the European Parliament. This was the case for Belgium in January, as it has been for all preceding countries. However, this tradition has not been upheld currently. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has expressed his intention to deliver the speech, but the Conference of Presidents (a body bringing together the leaders of the EP’s political groups) has been unable to make room for his address.
According to Euronews, Orbán has identified 16–17 July as suitable dates to present the Hungarian Presidency’s programme under the slogan ‘Make Europe Great Again’. However, the panel of political group leaders responsible for setting the EP’s agenda has stated that, unfortunately,
there is no room in the EP’s timetable for these dates.
Sources told Euronews that this is partly because the European Parliament is busier than usual with its current affairs. They also blamed the European Council for allowing the body that sets the agenda for the legislature’s inaugural sessions to ignore the tradition of the EU presidency. ‘Five years ago, in 2019, we were able to accommodate the incoming Finnish presidency in the last summer plenary session because the elections were held in May, allowing us to hold two plenary sessions before the summer,’ he said. He added that the EP had previously warned that the June elections could disrupt the normal timetable.
One of the sources added that the new parliament would need to be formed by electing a president and fourteen vice-presidents, which would have required freeing up Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday is reserved for a confirmation vote on the reappointment of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission. Although Friday is theoretically available, it is not suitable for Orbán.
Sources say there is a minimal chance of a last-minute solution, but it is unlikely. This means that the Hungarian presidency will not have the opportunity to address the EP before September—an almost unprecedented event.
Poking Hungary at Every Chance They Get
However, this is not the only instance of Brussels breaking with tradition regarding the Hungarian Presidency. Mandiner noted that, despite the European Commission representative’s traditional attendance at every ministerial meeting held under the EU Council Presidency, no one attended the latest event organized by Hungary.
When asked by a journalist, Minister for National Economy Márton Nagy said that he did not know why no one from the Commission had attended. He added that the Hungarian government had invited everyone, and the door was open.
It is also worth noting that, in the year leading up to the presidency, there were persistent discussions about
depriving Hungary of its presidency—a move that would have been unprecedented.
This issue remains on the agenda, partly due to Viktor Orbán’s recent visit to Moscow. Rikard Jozwiak, a correspondent for Free Europe, mentioned this in his recent post on X. He wrote that EU ambassadors will discuss Hungary and Viktor Orbán’s recent trip to Russia on Wednesday. ‘It is unlikely to happen, but as someone put it, “the files on how to take away the presidency were taken out again”.’
EU ambassadors will on Wed discuss 🇭🇺 and the latest Orban trips, notably the one to 🇷🇺. It is unlikely to happen but as someone put it "the files on how to take away the presidency were taken out again"
— Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) July 8, 2024
It is important to note that Orbán—as has been repeatedly stated by several government officials—did not travel to Kyiv, Moscow, and then Beijing in his capacity as rotating president, but as Hungarian Prime Minister. Therefore, the accusations that he represented the EU on these visits without the authorization of Brussels are untrue and are purely part of a left-wing smear campaign.
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