Newcomer Tisza Party manages a near complete wipe-out of the traditional left scene.Continue reading
On Monday evening, the European Council met for the first time since the European Parliament (EP) elections. At a working dinner of the heads of state and government of the European Council in Brussels, they discussed the nominees for the top positions in the two EU institutions, the European Council and the European Commission, and for the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán came to the summit with the second highest percentage of national support, the Nézőpont Institute revealed in an analysis. While 44.82 percent of voters backed the Hungarian government parties in the EP elections, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, who have the largest share of the vote in the European Council, won only 13.9 and 14.6 percent respectively. Also indicative in the European Council, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (30.18 percent) failed to win the EP elections in his country, while the governing party of Giorgia Meloni was able to win the EP elections in Italy (28.76 percent).
Charles Michel, president of the European Council, told the press early morning on Tuesday that the meeting had failed to bring about an agreement on the heads of the EU institutions. The aim of the informal meeting, however, was not to decide on the top positions, but to have an “in-depth exchange of views” on the candidates, he noted. The European Council President stressed that further discussions will be needed next week to bring the positions closer together, as the EU summit on June 27-28 needs to decide on the EU’s top leaders and make progress on the EU’s strategic agenda.
Orbán, on the other hand, wrote in a post on X that instead of listening to the voters, the EPP “teamed up with the socialists and the liberals,” and on Monday they “made a deal and divided” the leading positions among themselves.
The will of the European people was ignored today in Brussels.
The result of the European election is clear: right-wing parties got stronger, the Left and the liberals lost ground. The EPP, on the other hand, instead of listening to the voters, finally teamed up with the…
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) June 17, 2024
“The will of the European people was ignored today in Brussels. The result of the European election is clear: right-wing parties got stronger, the Left and the liberals lost ground,” he wrote. He believes that those on the other side “don’t care about reality, they don’t care about the results of the European elections, and they don’t care about the will of the European people. We shouldn’t be naive: they will continue to support migration and send even more money and weapons to the Russia-Ukraine war.”
He added:
We will not give in to this! We will unite the forces of the European right and fight against pro-migration and pro-war bureaucrats.”
Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said after the working dinner that he had held bilateral talks with the Hungarian Prime Minister.
Mark Rutte (L) and Viktor Orbán. Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
Rutte stressed that the talks had been conducted in a good atmosphere, adding that
he was “cautiously optimistic” that Hungary would eventually receive support for its bid for the post of NATO Secretary General.
According to the Financial Times, Rutte has pledged to leave Hungary out of NATO activities in support of Ukraine if he is elected NATO Secretary General. Orbán’s press chief, however, said only that “the meeting was about bilateral and international issues.”
The Hungarian Prime Minister also held talks with the Italian Prime Minister before the working dinner. During the meeting,
they assessed the results of the EP elections, discussed political issues related to the European national conservatism, the tasks ahead of the European Council heads of state and government, and the Hungarian EU Presidency plans.
@PM_ViktorOrban held discussions with Italian PM @GiorgiaMeloni in Brussels on Monday, focusing on evaluating the @Europarl_EN election results.
️ They reviewed political matters concerning the European right, the tasks ahead for the @EUCouncil, and Hungary’s plans for… pic.twitter.com/dnewSmHZ99
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) June 17, 2024
Orbán also met with former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and former Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa in Brussels on Monday afternoon. According to Bertalan Havasi, the Hungarian Prime Minister’s press chief, the topic was the unification of European national conservative forces.
Busy day today in Brussels ahead of the #EUCO with @GiorgiaMeloni @MorawieckiM @JJansaSDS and @MinPres. pic.twitter.com/8a198Qogr2
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) June 17, 2024
Via MTI, Financial Times; Featured image: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher