European Union foreign ministers intend to refuse Hungary's permission to host a foreign affairs summit in August, rather than travel to Budapest for the meeting.
This was reported by Politico.
Boycott the Hungarian Foreign Ministers' Summit
Hungary, which now holds a rotating presidency of the EU Council, plans to hold a foreign affairs summit in Budapest on August 28-29, which experts say is an excellent opportunity for Orban to shape the bloc's foreign policy agenda and for his Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó & ;#8212; to be the center of attention.
Now watching
But after Orban prevented the provision of aid to Ukraine, and his unauthorized “peaceful visits” to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, forces EU leaders not to participate in what they consider to be yet another Orbán propaganda show.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will convene foreign ministers for a formal foreign affairs summit at the same time as Orban's, three EU diplomats familiar with the plan said.
— If the official Foreign Affairs Council, organized by High Representative Borrell, is held on the same day, the ministers will not be able to travel to Budapest, said one of the diplomats.
Another source added that by boycotting the Budapest meeting, foreign ministers want to send a clear signal that Hungary does not speak for the EU.
Tensions between the EU and Hungary
Tensions between the EU and Hungary have been rising for years — even before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Under Orbán, the country has retreated from democratic norms and the rule of law, and has blocked legislation or funding to extract some concessions for itself.
EU ministers are willing to boycott summits organized by Hungary. Thus, only seven ministers from other countries attended the first meeting organized in Budapest to discuss industrial policy. No EU Commissioner was present.
