(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 26 - On Monday, Hungary takes over the rotating EU Council presidency from Belgium. Watched closely by many, the country aims to "Make Europe Great Again" and plans to focus on EU enlargement, defence and competitiveness. Ukraine might face six tougher months in the EU realm.
Taking over from the Belgians, Hungary will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union until the end of 2024. The country, led by ultranationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has a reputation of repeatedly blocking EU decisions and will hence be closely watched throughout the presidency.
While each EU country fights tooth and nail for its own interests, when they take over the presidency of the EU Council they are meant to put their politics aside to take on a more neutral role.
During a press conference on June 18 in Budapest, the Hungarian Minister for European Affairs, János Bóka, stressed that Hungary will be "an honest intermediary".
Looking back: what has the Belgian presidency achieved in the last six months?.
When a country takes over the presidency with European elections on the horizon - like it was the case for Belgium, there is a clear overriding objective - to wrap up as many legislative files as possible.
By the time the European Parliament was dissolved at the end of April, more than 60 files were given the green light. These included the new asylum and migration pact and the package on budgetary surveillance. It is worth noting that some files were already negotiated successfully by the preceding Spanish presidency.
After the June 6-9 elections - and with some unexpected help from Austria's Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler - the Belgian presidency managed to find the necessary majority to approve the Nature Restoration Law. The law had been at the centre of long and heated debates on European and national levels.
The forthcoming Hungarian presidency also added to the legislative push, given the known stances of Hungary within the EU. Throughout the Belgian reign, Belgium managed to find consensus on new financial support, including via profits from frozen assets of the Russian central bank. EU membership negotiations with Ukraine started this week, too. In addition, the 13th and 14th sanctions packages against Russia have been adopted. The latter on Monday, which targets Russia's multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector for the first time.
Hungary wants to "Make Europe Great Again".
The government of Hungary, headed by Viktor Orbán, assumes the rotating and semi-annual EU presidency under the controversial motto "Make Europe Great Again", almost the same slogan with which former US president Donald Trump triumphed in the 2016 elections.
"Europe is experiencing an exceptional situation, with problems such as a war in the neighbourhood or immigration," Hungarian Minister for European Affairs János Bóka said while promising that the presidency of his country will be "an honest intermediary".
The same was stressed by the Permanent Representative of Hungary to the EU, Bálint Ódor, while presenting the priorities of the presidency to the European press. "It will be a presidency like any other. We will be honest mediators, we will try to cooperate sincerely with EU countries and institutions." EU politicians - long used to blockades from Budapest - remain sanguine about the threat of Hungary gumming up the EU system and say they've been war-gaming ways around an obstinate Budapest if needed. The country takes the reins just after EU elections, meaning that much of the next six months will be taken up with installing a new European Parliament and executive arm. Diplomats say the presidency only affords limited power, and if other countries want an issue discussed they can override the presidency and vote it onto the table. "Even if the presidency doesn't like it, you can put an item on the agenda," one of the senior diplomats said. "So I'm not afraid of Hungary."
Seven priorities for the next six months.
Hungary established seven priorities for its presidency: improving competitiveness, common defence and the defence of external borders, as well as advancing enlargement and promoting cohesion policies, agriculture and addressing demographic problems.
Furthermore, Hungary expects progress in lifting Schengen land border controls for Bulgaria and Romania and the fight against anti-Semitism. The country also wants to promote discussions on topics linked to higher education and the protection of cultural heritage.
Among the key themes of the presidency will be EU Enlargement, with a view to the Western Balkans, rather than Ukraine. "When it comes to the Western Balkans, we would like as much progress as possible. We aim to open and close as many negotiation clusters as possible. We need to speed this process up," said Ódor, in conversation with Brussels correspondents.
The Hungarian Presidency wants to hold a summit in the region between the EU and the Western Balkans nations - Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
All countries have candidate country status, apart from Kosovo despite having requested it.
Currently, the EU has opened accession negotiations with Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro. In March 2024, the bloc conditionally agreed to open formal talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina on joining the European Union.
According to Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's goal during the first half of its presidency is to initiate negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and hold the first intergovernmental talks.
Szijjarto also said that there are member states in the European Parliament that publicly support enlargement but speak differently behind closed doors. He also asked all Hungarian diplomats to actively lobby for the opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ukraine's EU accession path is expected to get rockier.
European officials and diplomats fret that EU support for Ukraine, which is at war with Russia after being invaded by Vladimir Putin's army, could suffer from Hungary's six-month presidency.
According to the Permanent Representative of Hungary to the EU Bálint Ódor, Hungary will not promote Ukraine's and Moldova's accession negotiations. Budapest - Russia's closest ally in the bloc - has repeatedly held up sanctions on Moscow over the war.
For the past years it has blocked the disbursement of EU funds to help arm Ukraine.
(The content is based on news by agencies participating in the enr, in this case AFP, ANSA, Belga, BTA, dpa, EFE, FENA, STA).
(ANSA).