AGI – “Make Europe great again“: this is the motto that the Hungarian government has chosen for its six-month presidency of the EU. A Trumpian message that Budapest does not want to officially associate itself with, however. “I don’t think Trump ever wanted to make Europe great,” the Hungarian ambassador to the EU told journalists, Balint Odor, presenting the current semester that starts today. “Already thirteen years ago, at our first presidency of the EU, the motto was ‘For a strong Europe‘”, he tried to explain to the correspondents who continued to press him on the topic. “Make Europe great again refers to the past in which Europe, its industry, its GDP, had very different numbers compared to the current ones” , he highlighted. The Hungarians assure that they will have the role of “honest mediator” in the management of the presidency. Controversies – many – aside, there are seven priorities outlined: a New Deal for competitiveness; of coherent and merit-based enlargement; stemming illegal migration; shaping the future of cohesion policy; a farmer-oriented agricultural policy and the demographic challenge;
The choice of terms is a sufficient indicator to understand the political direction of the next European presidency. An example: Ukraine is not mentioned in the enlargement, the focus is on the Western Balkans. The reference to Ukraine in the enlargement chapter (always without mentioning it) emerges only when talking about the protection of minorities. Element of constant friction between Budapest and Kiev. In the chapter on migration, attention is focused on external borders and agreements with third countries. There is no mention of the Pact for Migration and Asylum (always rejected by Hungary) nor a mechanism for redistributing arrivals. And again: China, for example. There is no talk of de-risking or tariffs.
“A pragmatic and balanced approach towards China is a key objective of the Hungarian Presidency. China is an important trade and economic partner. In EU-China relations, we consider constructive dialogue on the economy and strategic security to be particularly important,” the Budapest programme reads. The Green Deal is not mentioned among the seven priorities. The program shows the desire to focus on “achievable objectives”. “The priority of the Hungarian Presidency is to contribute to the process of defining an ambitious, but achievable, 2040 interim climate target that ensures that no citizen or Member State is left behind, while ensuring the competitiveness and security of the EU’s energy supply throughout the green and just transition,” is the line drawn.
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