Don’t change the rules if you expect others to stick to them. This old adage could well be applied to the ongoing debate about whether Hungary should be allowed to chair the EU Council Presidency next year. Because, if the EU changes the rules overnight, why should it expect Hungary to stick to them?
The European Parliament will on Thursday (1 June) question Hungary’s ability to hold the six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council, scheduled between July and December 2024, citing Budapest’s problems with the rule of law, according to a draft resolution
A member state holding the rotating presidency organises and runs EU ministerial and preparatory body meetings, and represents the interests of the EU27 when interacting with other EU institutions and international bodies.
MEPs will argue and, in all likelihood, conclude that Hungary is not able to fulfil the requirements to lead the work on EU legislation and serve as an honest and neutral broker due to its numerous flash points with the European Commission.
Although the presidency schedule has been altered in the past to accommodate new member states, citing the rule of law disputes of a future presidency as a reason to do so would be unprecedented.
Germany, in addition, has added fuel to the fire by openly casting doubts on Hungary’s “fitness” to lead the six-month stint.
“I have doubts about the extent to which Hungary will be able to lead a successful Council presidency,” Berlin’s Europe Minister Anna Lührmann told reporters on Tuesday, citing Hungary’s encroachment on the rule of law and ambiguous stance in supporting Ukraine.
Dutch legal experts recently published a paper describing three options to prevent or mitigate conflicts of interest during Hungary’s stint. According to them, it also could apply similar options to Poland, which takes over after Hungary.
“Nonsense”, Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga has retorted, dismissing the European Parliament’s push as “very, very damaging” for European democracies.
For once, Brussels corridors say, she might be right.
Blocking a Council presidency is not in the gift of MEPs. Ultimately, it would be up to EU member states to decide by unanimity whether to change these procedures.
And, realistically, EU diplomats say, the chances of them touching this particular “hot potato” are almost zero.
“It’s quite an artificial debate – there are tools to deal with rogue member states, including Article 7 and other appropriate measures, but starting to change the rules of the game as we see fit and exclude for the sake of exclusion, is a dangerously hypocritical approach,” a Western European diplomat told EURACTIV.
“It’s like penalising a naughty child with unrelated measures – not the best pedagogical approach,” the diplomat added.
“If we want them to follow the rules, we can’t just start to invent our own,” a second EU diplomat says.
“It is the right of every member state to chair an EU presidency – which in practice is more technical in nature – and then it is up to the rest to make sure things run their correct course.”
In the end, such a step would penalise a whole country rather than just its government and deprive Hungary – probably for the next decade or so – of a chance to show it is aligned with the European project.
Today’s edition is powered by Savion Ray The power of emotional storytelling to inspire EU policy action In the dense and data-driven world of public communications, stories cut through the noise and deliver your message into the hearts and minds of your audience. Savion Ray is committed to helping you get attention and drive action by Turning Complex Narratives into Creative Stories. Learn more >>
The Roundup
Ukraine expects to get at least NATO security guarantees, rather than just another vague pledge about an ‘open door policy’, as Kyiv’s Western allies are preparing two key summits in support of the war-torn country, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top aide told EURACTIV in Kyiv.
A meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday (31 May) will look into a new compromise text on the platform work directive, seen by EURACTIV, in the hope of building a bridge between two starkly divided camps and bringing member states together ahead of a ministerial meeting in mid-June.
The EU joined the US and other allies in strongly condemning a North Korean spy satellite launch using ballistic military technology that ended in failure earlier on Wednesday (31 May).
The European Commission issued on Tuesday (30 May), internal guidelines for staff on using and interacting with online generative AI models, in particular addressing their limitations and risks.
The European Commission is looking to forge “win-win partnerships” with raw material-producing countries in a bid to develop new mining projects across the globe and reduce the bloc’s dependence on China.
France’s sports minister condemned Novak Djokovic on Wednesday (31 May) after he wrote a message saying Kosovo was at the “heart of Serbia” following his victory in the opening round of Roland Garros.
NATO countries are in the middle of Arctic military manoeuvres, vowing on Tuesday (30 May) to defend their newest member, Finland, hosting its first joint NATO exercise since becoming the 31st member of the Western alliance in April.
What was meant to be the last negotiating session on the proposal to regulate political advertising has been postponed, casting even more doubts about the possibility of a political agreement before the end of the Swedish presidency in June.
The EU executive is planning to put forward a new support package by June for farmers “affected by different types of crises” as a response to criticism received for the previous allocation of EU agricultural funds to Eastern European countries.
Several far-right politicians in France have criticised statements from the European Commission and the French government that they would be willing to ban Twitter if it does not comply with EU regulation on societal risks and disinformation.
To ensure effective implementation of the EU’s AI rules, member states without a rich AI ecosystem have used negotiations to try to mitigate the potential burden. Still, Slovakia sees opportunities for a comparative advantage if it succeeds in implementing them.
And don’t forget to check our Health Brief: Digital literacy key to cancer prevention.
Look out for…
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in second European Political Community summit in Moldova on Thursday.
- Commission Vice President Schinas meets with Spanish Health Minister José Manuel Miñones on Thursday.
- Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides participates in European Parliament debate on Antimicrobial Resistance on Thursday.
- European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Public Health on Thursday.
Views are the author’s
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic/Benjamin Fox]
Source: euractiv.com
