‘If the US prioritizes its own interests, which is understandable, the EU must adopt a similar stance. Should Brussels focus on advancing external economic agendas, Europe risks falling behind in the race for prosperity and progress,’ Hungarian Ministerial Commissioner Bernadett Petri warned in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
The conference featured research by Italian author and journalist Thomas Fazi, whose report ‘The Silent Coup’ was recently published by MCC Brussels. In his report Fazi argues that the sovereign debt crisis, the refugee crisis, the Brexit referendum, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine all contributed to the widening of the European Commission’s competences.
At the end of July Viktor Orbán announced that he would nominate again Olivér Várhelyi, the former Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy. Hungary would retain the position in charge of enlargement policy in the new Commission, but this ambition may be thwarted. Currently it seems that the majority of Member States and the EP are reluctant to give Hungary any strong commissioner position, and many predict that Várhelyi will be given a hard time during his parliamentary committee hearing.
Donald Trump’s campaign team has accused EU Commissioner Thierry Breton of election meddling after he sent a letter to Elon Musk, stating that Musk had a duty to censor potentially ‘harmful content’ on X ahead of Musk’s interview with the former US president. To make matters more embarrassing, it has emerged that Breton did not even inform Ursula von der Leyen of his actions.
Ursula von der Leyen’s Europe’s Choice programme will be the working document on the basis of which the Commissioners designate will receive their portfolios and, when they take office, the mandate in which the Commission President will set out their work and expectations for the next five years. And the implementation of these visions will be the task for this period to come.
On 18 July the European Parliament re-elected European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with 401 votes in favour. In her speech before the vote, von der Leyen made numerous political promises for the next five years but also, of course, criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s peace mission.
After late-night talks, EU leaders have decided on the top jobs of the EU, with Ursula von der Leyen preparing for a second term as President of the European Commission, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa as President of the European Council. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán criticized the pact between the EPP, S&D, and Renew, which disregards the will of the voters, calling it a ‘coalition of lies and deceit’.
Budapest’s recognized initiatives as part of the programme included the car-free weekend organized with the involvement of the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK), as well as the European Car-Free Day held on weekdays, during which Mayor Gergely Karácsony presented plans for the human-friendly and green renewal of the lower embankment of Pest. The programme also included events aimed at showcasing best practices in pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly developments, jointly organized with the city of Vienna, targeting both the general public and professionals.
The European Parliament is seriously considering legal action against the European Commission regarding the allocation of EU funds to Hungary. Despite Brussels releasing €10.2 billion last December, over €20 billion remain blocked due to ‘rule of law concerns’.
As the enlargement process advances, the imperative to reform the European Union becomes increasingly pressing. Opinions are divided on how this should be achieved; the European Commission may soon unveil its own plans.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
