Hungary takes over EU presidency, announces formation of new coalition in Parliament

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced that he wants to form a new coalition in the European Parliament (EU), together with Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) and the centrist ANO movement of former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will begin holding the rotating EU presidency from July 1, 2024. (Source: Reuters)

"We have a responsibility to launch this new platform and this new faction. I want to make it clear that this is our goal," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told reporters at a joint press conference with FPOe leader Herbert Kickl and Babis on June 30, calling for support from other parties.

The new alliance, introduced as "Patriots for Europe", will need support from parties in four other countries to be recognised as a faction in the European Parliament.

Prime Minister Orban shared: "A new era begins here, and the first moment, perhaps the decisive moment of this new era, is the formation of a new political faction that will change European politics."

Mr Orban said the three politicians had signed a "patriotic charter" promising "peace, security and development" rather than the "war, migration and stagnation" brought by the "Brussels elite".

Hungary begins assuming the rotating EU presidency for the next six months, starting tomorrow, July 1.

Previously, the results of the European Parliament (EP) election showed that transnational political groups, including the European People's Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the European Renewal Party (RE), still retained the majority with a total of 400/720 seats in the EP for the 2024-2029 term.

However, according to experts, although it has not yet achieved a majority of seats, the European far-right is still considered to have been extremely successful in this election. The results of the EP election will certainly significantly change the face of European political life. Along with the rise of the EPP center-right group, European decisions in the coming time will focus mainly on strengthening unity in supporting Ukraine and strengthening the EU defense industry.

At the EPP congress in Bucharest last March, the group highlighted the need to create a single European defence market, develop projects within the Permanent Structured Cooperation Agreement on Security and Defence (PESCO) and appoint a defence commissioner in the new European Commission.

In the long term, this group of parties proposes the creation of a European Defense Union, including land, sea, air and cyber forces. However, the EPP will still have to compromise with the S&D to be able to produce more reasonable policies when the S&D focuses on targeted spending and joint procurement of defense products.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hungary-lam-chu-tich-eu-tuyen-bo-thanh-lap-mot-lien-minh-moi-trong-nghi-vien-276955.html