The EU will “continue to support migration” and fund the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Hungarian prime minister has said
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Monday’s summit at the EU Council headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, June 17, 2024 © Getty Images / Thierry Monasse
The hopes of the people of Europe have been flouted in Brussels, when the center-right majority party entered into a coalition with the socialists and liberals, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday.
The European People’s Party (EPP), which positions itself as center-right, has approached the left-wing Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in negotiations to divide up four major roles, Politico wrote on Monday, citing sources close to the matter. The EPP reportedly wants a second term for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, 2.5 years for Roberta Metsola as European Parliament president, as well as sharing the term for the European Council presidency.
“The will of the European people was ignored today in Brussels. The result of the European election is clear: right-wing parties got stronger, the Left and the liberals lost ground. The EPP, on the other hand, instead of listening to the voters, finally teamed up with the socialists and the liberals: today they made a deal and divided the top jobs of the EU among themselves,” Orban wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
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“They don’t care about the will of the European people. We shouldn’t be naive: they will continue to support migration and send even more money and weapons to the Russia-Ukraine war,” the Hungarian leader wrote, calling on people to resist “pro-migration and pro-war bureaucrats.”
European Council President Charles Michel told journalists there was “no agreement tonight” on the positions, after the informal meeting of European leaders on Monday. However, one diplomat told Politico that the negotiators agreed on three names, and will continue discussions at a later date.
The European parliamentary elections earlier this month saw a swing in support toward right-wing parties in several EU states. The ruling coalitions in Germany and France were outpaced by right-wing parties. Centrist parties retained the majority in the EU Parliament, however, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s EPP winning 190 out of 720 seats. Von der Leyen has vowed to keep Europe on a “pro-Ukraine” path, after the EPP secured a majority in the EU Parliament.
