Brussels 10.07.2024 Today the Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka received Brussels press corps to update the programme, and the views of the Hungarian government profiling itself as a voice of those who “aspire change in the European Union”, and has intentions to keep this aspirations alive for the next institutional cycle.

The meeting took place within the context of rising tensions after a spontaneous peace mission of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing.  Although theoretically the divergence of views within the European Union should stand for a feature of a healthy democracy, it is certainly not a reigning spirit in the bloc, imperatively demanding unification of the foreign policy, especially in case of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Subsequently the trip of Prime minister was regarded as heresy, contradicting the mainstream political concept of supporting military action of Ukraine government “as long as it takes”.

The clarification of the peace initiatives of the Hungarian Prime minister by the Dr.Janos Boka were utmost timely, while attempts by   Viktor Orbán to address MEPs at the inaugural plenary sitting of the newly elected congregation in Strasbourg have been refused by parliamentary leaders of the political groups. The move adding even more cracks in the institutions edifice shuttered by the rise of the European sovereigntists.

By long-standing tradition heads of states, and governments are offered an opportunity to address the European Parliament when they assume responsibility at the rotating presidency of the EU Council, presenting their member-state agenda for their six-month turn. The refusal of hospitality, replaced by political hostility towards Prime minister Orban happened amid his triumph in uniting European Patriots in the third largest MEPs group, which only deepens the schism between the sovereignists, and eurocentrics.

Contradicting the chorus of adepts of NATO expansion to the East, the Hungarian presidency of the EU looks like a unique heir to the EU Nobel peace prize, received a dozen years ago, and dropped in oblivion. Since the moment of the chairmanship has began the Prime minister Viktor Orban demonstrated a remarkable determination to revive the original meaning of the EU as peace project, the concept risen from the ashes of the WWII.

These days acting on different international, national, and European platforms in his capacity as a Prime minister of Hungary, Orban attempts to promote the ideas, which are not well received by the EU structures subdued to the current U.S. foreign policy trends. However there is a divergence of views within the U.S. political Olympus too expressed by the Republicans leading candidate Donald Trump, who during his campaign promised to bring the Ukraine war to an end “before arrival” at the Oval Office, and “shortly after” winning the White House.

P.S. On 10 December 2012, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso accepted the award from the Norwegian Nobel Committee in a ceremony at Oslo City Hall.