«Make Europe Great Again». Hungary recycles the electoral slogan of Donald Trump – but also of Ronald Reagan – to inaugurate his six months at the helm of the Council of the European Union. On 1 July 2024, in the midst of negotiations for the appointments of EU leaders, the country led by Viktor Orbán will take over from Belgium and assume the presidency of the Council, which – as per the statute – rotates every six months. Hungary has just launched its presidency program in recent days, which plans to engage on issues such as «illegal migration, the vulnerability of international supplies, natural disasters, the effects of climate change and the impact of demographic trends ».
The logo chosen for the Hungarian presidency, which will last until 31 December 2024, resembles a Rubik’s cube, invented by the architect of the same name born in the Hungarian capital in 1944. What has caused the most discussion, however, is the slogan chosen by Orbán government: «Make Europe Great Again». A semi-quotation of the motto that catapulted Donald Trump to the White House in the 2016 American presidential elections and which was also proposed for this year’s election campaign. The choice of Hungary is obviously anything but random. Orbán is not only a leading figure of the European right, but also one of the heads of government closest to the former American president. During the six-month period in which Hungary will lead the Council of the European Union, presidential elections will be held in the United States. And the country led by Orbán makes no secret of who it would like to see in the White House.
On the cover: Donald Trump welcomes Viktor Orban to the White House, May 13, 2019 (EPA/Jim Lo Scalzo)
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