About “Project MEGA” – what Orban actually did for the EU | EUROtoday

It all began with 4 letters. Six months in the past, the Hungarian authorities offered the motto of its EU Council Presidency in Brussels. It learn: MEGA. That stood for “Make Europe Great Again”, in German one thing like “Make Europe great again”.

It was a variation of the slogan “Make America Great Again,” invented by Donald Trump and seen thousands and thousands of instances on purple baseball caps within the United States. MAGA and MEGA. The tone was set.

The Council Presidency rotates between the 27 EU states each six months. Whoever holds it normally chairs essential conferences of European ministers and may have nice affect on the continent’s political agenda.

But Hungary hardly succeeded. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán just lately described the interval between July and December as an “enormous success”. But not everybody sees it that approach.

“A good Council Presidency,” says Daniel Freund, an MEP for the Greens, “is recognized by its invisibility.” She works within the background, negotiating compromises.

Orbán did the other. “It was loud, it rumbled, but it didn’t move Europe forward one bit,” says Freund. “You can be happy that it’s over.” The politician describes Hungary’s Council Presidency as “the worst in EU history”.

The Hungarians accomplished at the very least eight legislative procedures

Expressed in numbers, and in a very non-political method, the steadiness sheet appears to be like like this: The Hungarians negotiated eight legislative procedures to the top – considerably lower than is common for a Council Presidency.

The predecessors, Belgium and Spain, every had nearly 70. Of course, you can not measure the success of a rustic by the variety of authorized acts handed.

Nevertheless, the impression arose: Hungary’s Council Presidency wasn’t that nice. Under Orbán, Europe barely tackled its issues.

To be honest, Hungary shouldn’t be solely accountable for this. After the European elections in June, politics in Brussels got here to a standstill for weeks. Tasks have been redistributed in Parliament and the Commission, and lots of workers additionally modified.

But even in comparison with different presidencies that started after an election, Orbán’s authorities carried out poorly. Finland and Italy every handed round 20 legal guidelines in 2019 and 2014.

Various delicate tasks occurred through the Hungarian presidency. For instance, the negotiations over a legislation to guard forests. In the long run, merchandise akin to espresso, soy and palm oil will solely be allowed to be bought within the EU if no bushes die for them.

Brussels needs to cease the deforestation of jungles in Asia and South America. The financial system resisted this; many firms feared extra forms and excessive prices. At least issues have been shifting ahead right here. A compromise was reached: the legislation ought to come into pressure a 12 months later than deliberate.

The Commission below Ursula von der Leyen determined in July to boycott conferences with the Hungarian Council Presidency. In August, then EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell moved a gathering of international and protection ministers from Budapest to Brussels. But why was the rejection by European leaders so nice?

It has quite a bit to do with an uncoordinated journey overseas. In July, Orbán met Russian President Vladimir Putin – and staged it as an EU “peace mission” to finish the warfare in Ukraine. Orbán later visited Chinese chief Xi Jinping and former US President Donald Trump, additionally with out consulting his European counterparts.

In addition, the Hungarian authorities repeatedly provoked individuals with a weird concept: it threatened to drive migrants to Brussels by bus. The mannequin for that is most likely Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who had 1000’s of migrants transported to New York from his state on the border with Mexico.

In September, many European financial and finance ministers boycotted an essential assembly in Budapest. About two-thirds stayed away, officers despatched. Christian Lindner (FDP) was additionally represented on the time, formally in Berlin for finances negotiations.

There would have been quite a bit to debate at the moment. Just a few days earlier than the assembly in Budapest, former ECB boss Mario Draghi offered a long-awaited report on the way forward for the European financial system.

His prognosis was bleak: Europe, the Italian stated, could be left behind economically by America and China and threatened militarily by Russia. The continent should due to this fact make investments huge sums within the applied sciences of tomorrow – akin to synthetic intelligence and electrical vehicles – and in its personal protection. An further 800 billion euros per 12 months are wanted.

Europe’s economics and finance ministers may have talked about this in Budapest. But the boycott – in the end a political image with out penalties – was extra essential to many. And so the battle for Europe’s competitiveness stalled through the Hungarian Presidency.

It remained tough till the top. In December, Hungary misplaced its proper to European support price round one billion euros. From Brussels’ perspective, Orbán had carried out too little to fight corruption in his nation and violated basic EU values, such because the independence of the judiciary. The funds have been frozen in 2022.

Poland took over the presidency initially of this 12 months. “With the end of the Council Presidency under Viktor Orbán, some normality is returning to the EU,” says Green MP Freund. “Seven months after the European elections, it is time to get back to legislative work.”

Stefan Bagsbacher is a correspondent in Brussels. He experiences on the EU’s financial, commerce and local weather coverage.