Belgian PM on voting without Orban: “You just need to keep your mouth shut”

Voting at the summit EU The start of negotiations on joining the bloc between Ukraine and Moldova took place in the absence of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The European Council decided to begin negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on their accession to the European Union. This was announced following the results of the first day of the EU summit in Brussels, on the evening of Thursday, December 14, by the head of the European Council, Charles Michel. In addition, the leaders of the European Union decided to grant Georgia the status of a candidate country for EU membership, Michel wrote on the social network X.

The decision to begin negotiations with Ukraine had to be approved by all EU states. It was expected that it might be blocked by Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly and extremely categorically opposed the start of these negotiations. Orban said that Ukraine needs reforms, which, according to him, it still has not carried out. According to reports from EU circles, the decision was made while Viktor Orban was absent from the meeting room. However, the quorum of the European Council was observed, writes D.W.

The idea for Orban to leave the hall during the EU leaders’ vote on the “Ukrainian question” was voiced by Scholz, Euractiv reported, citing four EU diplomats. The move, known in Brussels as “constructive abstention”, allowed the bloc’s 26 leaders to reach a unanimous decision. One EU diplomat says:

“We were all surprised that it happened so quickly, at some point Scholz suggested that Orban take a break and leave the room, which he did.”

Scholz suggested that Orban go “have coffee” during the vote for the decision on Ukraine, Politico also writes. The German chancellor told Orban in the presence of other leaders that if he really didn’t want to agree, he could leave the room so EU leaders could make a unanimous decision in his absence, two officials said.

This proposal was not spontaneous, but was agreed upon during preliminary discussions. After several hours of negotiations, as Viktor Orbán said that Hungary did not want to participate in the decision:

“Hungary doesn’t want to be part of this bad decision.”

The Hungarian Prime Minister once again strengthened his position in the morning, opposing the start of accession negotiations with Kiev. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and senior EU officials met with Orban ahead of the summit in an attempt to get him to attend. tells The Guardian.

After several hours of negotiations, Orbán left the room when the leaders formally decided to begin accession negotiations, thus achieving unanimity. European Council President Charles Michel called the leaders’ decision to begin accession negotiations “a very powerful political signal.”

Asked about Orbán’s comments following the decision, Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre De Cros said:

“You know, the decision of the council is a decision that binds 27 countries. I think these are the rules of the game, and everyone knows that these are the rules of the game. If you decide, and you agree with that decision – which 27 people in the room did – then you shouldn’t then say, “Well, I have a different opinion about this. Either, if you are involved in the decision, you agree with it, or after that you just have to keep your mouth shut.”

After his comment, De Croo started to walk away and then said: “I shouldn’t have said that.”

The decision to start negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova was made by EU leaders in the absence of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which allowed them to avoid a veto, said senior officials of EU institutions, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reports a correspondent for European Pravda. Several representatives of the European Council claim that Orban deliberately left the meeting during the voting on the decision on Ukraine:

“The main thing is that no one spoke out against this decision. Thus, the European Union agreed on the decision to begin negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, and to grant Georgia candidate status. Legally, this is absolutely in accordance with the rules. Yes, we made the decision without Orban’s presence, but not behind his back. He knew that this decision would be voted on and left the room,” said a representative of the team of European Council President Charles Michel. All other states voted in favor of starting negotiations with Ukraine, so there were 26 votes in favor and one abstained.

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