Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is scheduled to address the European Parliament in Strasbourg next week amid attempts by opponents to prevent him coming.
Orbán, head of the EU’s rotating Presidency, is due to outline the bloc’s work schedule on September 18 at the Parliament’s French headquarters, a source close to the prime minister has confirmed.
His appearance, which has not yet been announced by the Parliament or Hungarian diplomats in Brussels, follows attempts led by Green MEPs to veto his speech.
Two sources told Brussels Signal that European parliament Green group leaders attempted to prevent the visit from taking place during the assembly’s conference of presidents, which took place on September 11. Orbán’s visit was not mentioned by name but was discussed under the agenda heading “Scheduling of key debates in plenary”. The conference of presidents decides the timetable and agenda of plenary sittings.
The Parliament’s Green group did not respond to a request for comment, though sources said there was insufficient support for the veto plan. “Preventing him from coming would be against the parliament’s own protocol rules, which state that the highest placed politician should always address the plenary,” said one source. “He couldn’t be replaced by anyone else”.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was due to attend the September 11 meeting to discuss the appointment of her new team but did not, reportedly because negotiations on candidate-Commissioners have not been completed.
“The official agenda may still change but the PM is now scheduled to speak Wednesday at 9 am,” said a source close to Orbán, who asked not to be named.
“Greens and other leftists have been trying to boycott and cancel the Hungarian presidency for almost a year now. There was a long political campaign to prevent the Hungarian presidency even before it began.”
The source continued: “The Left has obviously no interest in having PM Orban speak in the EP [European Parliament] but at the same time it would be a terrible precedent to break this tradition because the EP fought very long to have the rotating presidencies come and hold a discussion with MEPs because otherwise there is no such obligation.”
Orbán’s government is in a longstanding battle with the European Commission over domestic “rule of law” issues that have led to the suspension of EU funds. His visit to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin in July was condemned as “appeasement” by EC President von der Leyen.
“The July plenary and the hysterical reaction to PM Orban’s peace mission shows that it hit a nerve,” the source said. “They don’t want peace. [German chancellor] Scholz’s recent remark about negotiations with Russia however now puts the EP in a very uncomfortable position because it is the same line as PM Orban has been promoting.
“Likewise on migration. All the major issues of the Hungarian Presidency: migration, peace talks, competitiveness (Draghi [the competitiveness report by former European Central Bank head Mario Draghi]) are now confirmed to be in line with Europe’s interests. There is no battleground on which they have an edge over PM Orban.”
On immigration, the Hungarian Government has threatened to bus unwanted arrivals to Brussels — sparking consternation among Belgian politicians.
His arrival in Strasbourg is expected to be met with protest within the chamber. One German Green MEP is said to be organising an anti-Orbán art exhibition.
Politicians in Belgium have become nervous about Hungarian threats to send migrants to the EU capital with some threatening to block any buses from entering the city. https://t.co/9MboVNRn7p
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) September 10, 2024
