Hungary will not retain its current position as an enlargement commissioner in the new European Commission. As diplomats told Politico, the EC is tired of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s constant obstructionism regarding Ukraine, and his fellow leaders in the EU plan to punish him by giving the country a weaker presence in the next EC.
Hungary wants to keep its enlargement role, which has held significant influence resulting from the EU’s negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the bloc. Now, national governments are against a Hungarian politician continuing in this important role. As we know, Orbán remains Russian President Putin’s closest ally in the EU, and European leaders are becoming increasingly irritated by his undermining of policy and resistance to providing assistance to Ukraine.
In recent months, Orbán “made attempts to block aid to Ukraine and threatened the negotiations on its accession.” In July, Hungary will take over the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, giving them the power to set the agenda.