Radiožurnál | The European Commission boycotts the Hungarian presidency due to Orban's unexpected visit to Russia

The European Commission has announced that, in light of developments since the beginning of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union, it plans to boycott informal ministerial meetings and send only senior officials instead of commissioners. Viktor Orbán has come under criticism for his recent trips to Russia, which he described as a peace mission aimed at ending the war in Ukraine and which he did not consult with the leaders of other EU states. This move was commented on in a Radiožurnál broadcast by Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute.

The problem with this uncoordinated mission lies partly in the signal it sent when Viktor Orbán shook hands with Vladimir Putin, who subsequently bombed a children's hospital in Kyiv. However, what I believe the legal services of the European Commission will primarily point out is the process itself. Generally speaking, no one denies Viktor Orbán the right to meet with prime ministers or his counterparts from other countries, nor to undertake peace initiatives. But this cannot be done behind the backs of other member states without the presidency being transparent and securing support in advance.

You can listen to the full commentary here from 12:16.

Viktor Daněk
Deputy Director

Before entering the NGO sphere, Viktor Daněk worked for almost ten years as a journalist. During his time with the public service Czech radio, he focused mainly on covering EU affairs. He spent almost five years as a permanent correspondent in Brussels, where he cooperated with other media outlets. Before his career in journalism, he gained experience in the area of marketing and communication in the Česká spořitelna banking group and at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He holds university degrees in Media Studies and International Relations. Viktor Daněk joined the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in October 2023. He continues to be active in the media as a freelancer. His main areas of interest are institutional questions of European integration, globalisation and the EU’s climate and migration policy.