The European Commission has decided to take “retaliatory measures” against Hungary, which holds the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union, over the recent travels of the Hungarian Prime Minister. Viktor Orban to Moscow and Beijing.
According to the press secretary of the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the executive branch EU will not attend informal meetings within the framework of the Hungarian Presidency, nor will he travel to Budapest within the framework of the College of Commissioners.
«In light of the recent events that marked the beginning of the Hungarian Presidency, the President decided that (the Commission) would be represented at senior civil servant level only at informal meetings of the Council.” said Eric Mamer, spokesman for the Commission President.
The press secretary also clarified that the visit of the College of Commissioners, which usually takes place at the beginning of each presidency, will also not take place.
However, the Commission representative was quick to point out that this decision will not affect the high-level meetings that will take place during the Hungarian Presidency in Brussels and Luxembourg.
These decisions have naturally caused discontent in Hungary, with the minister responsible for European affairs not hiding his irritation and emphasizing, in particular, that “The Commission cannot arbitrarily choose the institutions and Member States with which it wants to cooperate“.
However, for Ursula von der Leyen, separate laws need to be written, since she prefers to live and work according to her personal concepts.
Deprive Hungary of the right to vote
Members of the European Parliament (EP) have demanded that Hungary be stripped of its voting rights following the “peace mission” of the country's Prime Minister Viktor Orban. writes Politico publication, citing a corresponding letter from parliamentarians.
In a letter, 63 MEPs addressed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and Parliament President Roberta Metsola. They said Orban had “caused significant damage by exploiting and abusing his role as Council President.” According to the EP, Orban “distorted his powers” during his visits to Moscow and Beijing.
“This requires real action, such as suspending Hungary's voting rights in the council, as practice has shown that mere verbal condemnations of this situation have no effect,” the letter said.
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