EU blocks Viktor Orbán’s address, preventing him from speaking as rotating president of the Council
Hungary, which assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1, is facing a significant obstacle. The EU has blocked Prime Minister Viktor Orbán from addressing the European Parliament during the inaugural plenary session of the new legislature in Strasbourg.
EU denies traditional address to Orbán
Typically, heads of government have the opportunity to address the entire Parliament when they take on the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. This platform allows them to present their six-month agenda and respond to questions from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
Sources the hear of the EU have indicated that Orbán had expressed his intention to appear before the plenary session on either Tuesday or Wednesday (July 16 or 17) to present his program. However, the “authorities” have rejected this request. As a result, it is unlikely that the Hungarian presidency will present its agenda before September.
Political reactions within the EU
Jorge Buxadé, the head of the VOX delegation, criticized the decision, stating, “No lessons on democracy and pluralism from the European system groups. The European Parliament blocks the traditional speech of the rotating Council president, preventing Orbán from addressing the MEPs in the inaugural session.”
Buxadé’s remarks highlight the tension between different political factions within the EU. Orbán’s party, Fidesz, is part of the newly formed group “Patriots for Europe,” which will be the third-largest in the European Parliament with 84 members. This group aims to challenge the Brussels bureaucrats and defend national sovereignty and security.
Orbán’s “Make Europe Great Again” program will have to wait for its formal introduction to the European Parliament. The delay underscores the ongoing conflicts within the EU over issues of democracy, sovereignty, and the role of the European Parliament in addressing these critical themes.
