Hungarian Conservative

An analytical piece by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network examines the ways Hungary can advance the EU accession of Western Balkan countries while also pointing out possible obstacles to the process as well as the reasons why the Orbán administration has decided to make the issue one of its top priorities.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in a stable but very serious condition after he was shot at point-blank range by a 71-year-old perpetrator, described as a poet and political activist in media reports, on Wednesday afternoon. The international community responded with shock to the news of the attempted assassination, as world leaders expressed their support for Slovakia.

Another, earlier-than-ever date has emerged regarding the completion of the Hungarian section of the Budapest–Belgrade railway line. As before, the source of the information on the new date is the Serbian President.

In the midst of tensions among the Visegrád Group countries, Viktor Orbán spoke about the potential for a partnership between Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia. In what areas could these countries cooperate, and what difficulties might impede such a partnership?

Hungary has long been committed to supporting Serbia’s accession to the EU, but given the protracted migration and energy crises, it is also in Budapest’s vital interest to have a stable Belgrade government that is friendly towards Hungary and Hungarians. The SNS alliance has shown a strong willingness to maintain good relations, which is a promising sign for the future.

The conflict most likely broke out between a group of migrants and an organized human smuggler group. It went on for hours into the early morning, terrifying the residents of Horgos. This is actually the second similar incident in just a few weeks at the Serbian-Hungarian border.

The National Assembly of Bulgaria passed a new, €10.2 per megawatt-hour tax on Russian gas coming through the TurkStream pipeline. President Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary have condemned the decision.

Another summit of the intergovernmental cooperation between Austria, Hungary, and Serbia took place on 7 July in Vienna, Austria. Apart from the heads of state and government, the three nations’ ministers of foreign affairs, and domestic and law enforcement leaders also took part in the conference, held at the Austrian Chancellor’s residence. The Vienna Summit was organised in the wake of Hungary and Poland officially objecting to the migration package at the European Commission’s 30 June session.

PM Orbán wrote that the release of the three Kosovo police officers charged with illegal weapon possession in Serbia is a testament to the ‘mutual commitment to the peace and stability of the Balkans’. However, tensions in the region still seem to be on the rise.

During the meeting in Palić, twelve cooperation agreements were signed between the Hungarian and Serbian parties. These include the establishment of the Hungarian-Serbian Strategic Cooperation Council, as well as agreements on diplomatic cooperation, border protection, border control, the construction of an oil pipeline between Hungary and Serbia, European integration, exchange and protection of classified data, infrastructure, agriculture, defence, and customs cooperation.

‘Despite their injuries, the Hungarian soldiers have shown brave commitment, and many of those who were able to do so have already returned to their posts,’ the Hungarian defence minister said after the clashes between KFOR troops and local Serbs in North Kosovo. The minister stressed that the stability of the Western Balkans is very important to Hungary, which is why it is present in the region not only diplomatically and economically, but also militarily in the framework of the KFOR mission.

PM Orbán must have ‘run into’ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the meeting, as some Hungarian media put it. However, conspicuously, Viktor Orbán did not post any photos of him and the Ukrainian leader to social media, as opposed to prominently featured pictures with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in a Facebook post. In fact, no formal meeting has been held between the two leaders since Zelenskyy entered office. Although Orbán has been invited to Kyiv, the Hungarian government has made it quite clear that the Hungarian PM will not be travelling to Ukraine unless the rights of the Hungarian minority in the country are restored.

The clashes began on Friday and continued on Monday morning as a result of ongoing unrest following the recent elections, where ethnic Albanian politicians won mayorships. Confrontations broke out between ethnic Serbian protesters taking to the street and the police near the municipal offices of three towns. 20 Hungarian soldiers were injured.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Belgrade, for talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.