PM predicts conflicts in the EU

A liberal foreign policy expert agrees with the Prime Minister in expecting the government to come under intense international pressure this year.

Receiving members of the Fidesz delegation within the European Parliament, the Prime Minister told them that they should expect sharp debates in Brussels this year over the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the difficulties of vaccine roll-out, the impact of Brexit, and what he described as plans by the European Commission to stimulate migration.

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s words on ATV, former liberal state secretary of Foreign Affairs István Szent-Iványi said Mr Orbán had plenty of reasons to expect tough conflicts with the European Union. The Portuguese presidency has already made clear that it intends to continue the procedures against Hungary and Poland under Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty which was put aside by the previous two (Croatian and German) presidencies. Szent-Iványi also suspected that the European Commission might try and make EU financial transfers conditional on rule of law compliance because it is not bound by the compromise reached at the latest European Summit to wait for a verdict by the European Court of Justice before applying that decree. Another problem that may well arise, he adds, is the Commission’s draft plan on migration, which he believes will be published before the end of the year. Szent-Iványi finally mentioned that in addition to problems within the European Union, the government will probably also be under pressure from the US under President Biden. Both Poland and Hungary will be ‘in the crosshairs’ of the new US Administration, he predicted.

Tags: Biden, EU, Orbán, rule of law