French President Emmanuel Macron will receive Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for a working dinner at the Elysée on Monday as Hungary blames the EU for its ‘indirect war’ against Russia.
The two leaders are expected to discuss “support for Ukraine, the strengthening of European competitiveness, energy matters and development of a European defence industry” ahead of the European Council set to be held on 23-24 March, according to a French press release.
Macron is also expected to raise “issues related to the Rule of Law”, as Budapest has been under heavy EU scrutiny in the past few years for undermining judicial independence.
The European Commission has suspended up to €12 billion in EU cohesion funds since November 2022, and the payment of the funds has been made conditional on implementing reforms to improve the fight against corruption and the independence of the judiciary.
“We have a degree of corruption [in Hungary], including with EU funds, that is not comparable with any other member state,” MEP and anti-corruption expert Daniel Freund told journalists in November.
In 2018, the European Commission and the European Parliament initiated “Article 7” proceedings against Hungary and Poland for the “clear risk of a serious breach by a member state of the values under Article 2” of the same EU treaty. Fast-forward five years, and no decision has yet been made.
Budapest has also been distancing itself from EU-wide condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Orbán has continuously called for a ceasefire and peace talks, accusing the EU of waging an “indirect war” against Moscow.
In a ‘State of Hungary’ speech in February, Orban made clear Hungary would maintain economic ties with Russia. “Western leaders are fanning the flames of war,” he said on state broadcaster MTVA on Friday (10 March), as European arms shipments to Ukraine grow. “We have never been so close to a world war,” he added.
EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell warned in an exclusive EURACTIV interview on Friday that the EU has nearly exhausted the punitive measures it can impose on Russia but reiterated Europe’s willingness to continue supporting the Ukrainian war effort “including through the delivery of arms and ammunition”.
In December 2021, Macron travelled to Hungary for a state visit, the first time a French president had visited the country since 2007. At the time, Macron described his relationship with his Hungarian counterpart as “political adversaries but European partners”.
(Theo Bourgery-Gonse | EURACTIV.fr)
Source: euractiv.com
