During the Hungarian mandate, Viktor Orban suffered numerous criticisms, particularly during his “peace mission” in China and Russia.
The Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union ends on December 31. The Budapest Mandate caused a lot of commotion in Brussels.
The tone was set from the launch of his campaign by the slogan Make Europe Great Again, a formula borrowed from the former and future American president Donald Trump.
During his mandate, Hungarian President Viktor Orban, known for his populist policies and his anti-immigration positions, has multiplied controversies, notably by touring China and Russia to promote his famous “peace mission” in Ukraine.
If many member states distanced themselves from Hungary by boycotting European meetings organized by Budapest, Viktor Orban defended his record by boasting of having made Europe great again.
According to Robert Kiss, political analyst, the presidency of the Council of the European Union in itself presents little risk of failure. Its role is to guide the work of the council and to represent the 27 in negotiations with the other European institutions. : “The institutional tools available to the presiding country are such that it is impossible to make a mistake. When there is a period in which Hungary does not hold the rotating presidency, relations between the EU and Hungary are very turbulent.“