Hungary Orban takes over EU presidency

After months of blaming the European Union for all its troubles, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban assumes the rotating presidency on Monday, July 1, amidst increased isolation due to his stance on the war in Ukraine.

The longest-serving active leader in the European coalition has recently hardened his rhetoric against “the technocratic elite of Brussels,” stating that he is “racking his brains on how to harm them.”

“It’s like a defendant suddenly finding himself in the prosecutor’s position,” summarized Paul Landwe, author of a book on Viktor Orban, describing it as a “completely absurd” situation.

“The two sides are playing the game the institutions want,” commented the French News Agency, urging not to overestimate the significance of this presidency.

According to him, Budapest will continue to block key issues and “attempt to relax restrictions” regarding the rule of law to regain its funds.

Because the differences are many and billions of euros in funds have been frozen due to concerns over corruption and repeated blows to democracy in this Central European country.

Contrasting geopolitical chessboard

In geopolitical matters as well, discord is complete, as reported by ANA-MPA. Unlike his counterparts, Orban supports former US President Donald Trump, from whom he borrowed the slogan for the next six months – “Make Europe Great Again.”

He is close to Chinese leader Xi Jinping while also cultivating relations with the Kremlin and refusing to support Kyiv militarily.

He was, however, a young liberal when, at 26, he gained fame by defying the communist regime in Budapest with a fiery speech for freedom in June 1989 during a tribute to the victims of the 1956 uprising against the Red Army.

A co-founder a year earlier of the Alliance of Young Democrats (Fidesz), he became the symbol of Hungary’s ambition to break free from totalitarianism and adopt Western values.

Today, however, Viktor Orban denounces “the decline of the West” in the face of the “LGBTQ+ lobby” and the influx of migrants from Africa and the Middle East, whom he often labels as potential “terrorists.”

This marks the culmination of a long journey towards the far right.