[ad_1]
But Thursday’s events were a reminder of Mr. Orbán’s relative weakness rather than his outsize influence. At an emergency meeting in Brussels, Prime Minister Orban dropped an earlier threat to fast-track the EU’s plan to provide $54 billion in aid to Ukraine over the next four years. “The Hungarian leader was pushing hard for the possibility of an annual veto over funding to Ukraine,” my colleague Emilie Rauhalla explained. “Instead, leaders agreed to review how the funds are used without a veto.”
Mr Orbán’s ouster came after he vetoed Hungary in December to block funding measures for Ukraine. But after weeks of negotiations and a tacit pressure campaign on Budapest, his attitude appears to have changed. According to Politico Europe, right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron, who were once seen as Orban’s traveling companions, have embarked on a delicate charm offensive. Meanwhile, Brussels officials leaked plans to punish Hungary’s economy if President Orbán further obstructs aid to Ukraine and laid out other punitive measures, including triggering an EU mechanism to disenfranchise Budapest. Ta.
orbán complained However, on Thursday he quietly acquiesced to the EU’s “blackmail”. European leaders apparently made no significant concessions to win Hungarian leaders to their side. The moment highlighted Mr. Orbán’s isolation. Even ideological allies like Mr. Meloni and Slovak Prime Minister Roberto Fico, who met with Ukrainian officials last week, have softened their positions on supporting Kiev.
For all his historicism, Orban needs Europe more than Europe needs him. As the ruling Fidesz party consolidates power, the Hungarian prime minister has used his platform to denounce EU edicts and wave the banner of a right-wing culture war on the continent. Mr. Orbán’s antics polarize the domestic debate and turn the opposition into an abettor of controlling foreign technocrats. Meanwhile, Hungary has been one of the most economically unrelated countries in the region, drawing significant funds from Brussels as an EU member, but has been facing water shortages in recent years due to EU anger over Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s alleged breaches of regional rules. Faucets are partially turned off. – Provisions of law.
“Hungary receives transfers from the EU, which in a good year can exceed 4% of GDP,” The Economist explained. “The mechanisms built into the club’s budget in 2020 make it possible to impose financial sanctions on governments that violate the EU’s rule of law. The EU continues to reserve funds worth €21 billion.”
For some European officials, Prime Minister Orban’s tough stance on Ukraine was the last straw. “The so-called Ukraine fatigue is fine,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said as he entered the summit on Thursday. “There is Orbán fatigue in Brussels right now.” Tusk, a centre-right politician and former head of the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, is one of the most prominent figures on the anti-liberal right in Poland and elsewhere. He is an adversary. “This is for Mr. Orbán to decide,” he continued, “whether or not Hungary is part of our community.”
Some see an opportunity to further tighten the grip on Budapest. Daniel Freund, a member of the European Parliament from Germany’s Green Party, said in an emailed statement that Orbán has “abandoned his veto, received nothing in return and is completely isolated among heads of state and government.” Stated. “Member states’ firm stance on Hungary has paid off. The lesson from this summit is that pressure and firmness are needed to persuade Viktor Orbán to accept further financial commitments to Budapest. There can be no gifts. Now is the time to promote the use of all available tools to uphold the rule of law.”
Still, Orbán has reasons not to be discouraged. Whatever humiliation he suffered this week, the political winds may still be blowing in his direction. There is fear across Europe that former President Donald Trump, a staunch ally of Mr. Orban, will return to the White House. The far right has won recent national elections in Europe. Opinion pollsters predict a significant victory for the continent’s far-right and anti-establishment populists in European Parliament elections later this year, further shrinking the continent’s traditional centre-left and centre-right blocs.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long considered himself to be at the tip of the spear of this movement, the first upheaval of a seismic shift in mainstream Western politics. His unabashed nationalism, anti-immigrant advocacy, and unrelenting outrage against liberal elites have made him a darling of the American right. And he became a role model for American politicians desperate to derive the same satisfaction from bringing the liberal establishment to its knees.
“We need a Brussels that defends national self-respect, recognizes the way each country chooses to live, and regulates markets, but does not dictate to Poles, Hungarians and Portuguese how they should live,” Orbán said. . Hungarian TV late last year. “Our plan is not to leave the EU,” he added. “Our plan is to conquer it.”
It’s still a pipe dream, but Orbán has a longer way to go than many other European countries. “He is playing a very long game and has more time than other players,” an EU diplomat told the Financial Times. “Honestly, he plays the game better than most.”
[ad_2]
Source link
