Orbán criticizes management of key EU posts, Meloni remains silent – ​​Euractiv

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán objects to the way majority countries are handling discussions on the distribution of the EU’s top posts, adding that it excludes others, according to comments made at a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who, for her part, remained silent. .

“We cannot accept the creation of a majority and an opposition in Europe and a coalition dividing the highest positions,” Orbán told a meeting in Rome.

At an informal summit last week, the center-right EPP, European Socialists and liberal Renew proposed a set of names for the EU’s next top jobs.

The package, which remains on the table for this week’s negotiations, includes outgoing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa as European Council president and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas to the highest diplomatic post in the bloc.

Orbán added that since 2014, “the Commission, supposed to be the guardian of the treaties, has become an actor, behaving like a government. Three parties formed the majority and acted like a government, with a majority and an opposition. Originally, Europe was not like this: it was based on the inclusion of all, young and old, and not on exclusions. As Hungary, we cannot accept this.”

Read more: EU leaders must balance top job appointments with future priorities

Meloni, for her part, preferred not to focus on this issue, although last week she described as “surreal” the fact that “some have proposed names” for the highest positions “without even having attempted to prior reflection on what citizens indicate. was and what should be the change of pace in terms of priorities.

OrbanFidesz will not join the ECR

Meloni focused his speech on emphasizing the close relations between Rome and Budapest and the need to further strengthen them.

“Hungary is for us an important European partner, a valuable ally, even within NATO… I am very happy with the intensification of our political dialogue and the strengthening of our economic relations in recent months” , Meloni said.

However, despite “the excellent state of bilateral relations between Rome and Budapest”, the two leaders made it clear that the question of Fidesz’s membership in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) was definitively closed.

“We did not discuss party issues because we already settled them on Monday in Brussels. We have made it clear that we follow national policies and that we cannot be part of a political family including an anti-Hungarian Romanian party,” Orbán said, referring to the AUR, the Romanian party that joined the ‘ECR last week.

ECR had also requested an official written statement from Fidesz expressing support for the Ukrainian cause as a precondition for joining the group, given Orbán’s ambiguous positions.

“We also discussed the conflict in Ukraine. We know very well that our positions do not always coincide, which is why I would like to express my appreciation for Hungary’s position so far… allowing other member states and allies to take very important decisions even when they don’t fully agree,” Meloni explained.

The Italian leader also praised Hungary’s priorities during its next EU presidency, particularly regarding Europe’s demographic and migration challenge.

The two leaders stressed the importance of experimenting with new forms and solutions to manage migratory flows, starting with the Italy-Albania protocol, which “is the subject of a letter signed by a majority of member countries requesting this approach for the future,” Meloni said. said.

Read more: Meloni says EU migration policy should be based on Italy-Albania deal

(Alessia Peretti – Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos | Euractiv)

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