From July until the end of the year, Hungary holds the presidency of the EU. The beginning of its presidency was marked by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s so-called “peace mission,” which worried all supporters of Ukraine. Within the EU, concerns are growing about the role that Orban attributes to himself in this mission, as he represents only his own country, discrediting the EU’s unified stance.
What does this mean for Ukraine? Hungary sets priorities and the tone of discussions, and also conducts negotiations with all EU member states. At the end of June, Budapest presented its own program for the next six months. Among its seven priorities are extremely important ones for both the EU itself and for Ukraine:
- increasing the competitiveness of the EU economy;
- strengthening defense policy;
- supporting Ukraine’s recovery.
Budapest promises to work on allocating tranches within the Ukrainian Facility fund and on legal issues regarding Russia’s aggressive war. Hungary will also consider the consequences of the war in Ukraine within the EU’s migration policy and continue the dialogue on the acceptance of Ukrainian refugees.
Is Kyiv on time?
Hungary’s presidency will not hinder Ukraine on its path to European integration. For this, everything possible was done in advance: Kyiv managed to open negotiations for accession by the end of June, and now until the end of the year, Ukraine and the EU will focus on screening Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU law.
However, Hungary did not include military support for Ukraine within the European Peace Fund in its program. For over a year, Budapest has been blocking tranches from this fund for the reimbursement of military aid to Ukraine. The blocked amount currently stands at 6.5 billion euros.
Lost Confidence
It is also unknown whether it will be possible to adopt the 15th package of sanctions against Russia during Hungary’s chairmanship, unknown. Expert Luca Flora Saltesh initially thought that Hungary’s chairmanship would be purely technical, but after Orban’s “peace mission” and a week of trolling, she is uncertain about the intentions.
Therefore, ahead is half a year of important decisions and potential changes. Ukraine can only hope for support and coordination in the actions of the EU.
