EU Seeks to Leverage Orbán’s Defeat
With Viktor Orbán losing the recent elections in Hungary, European Union proponents have quickly seized the moment to challenge national sovereignty and enhance Brussels’ influence.
The newly elected pro-European leader, Péter Magyar, defeated Orbán in the general elections held on Sunday. Following the results, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated that she would advocate for ending member states’ vetoes on foreign policy issues.
According to von der Leyen, shifting towards qualified majority voting on foreign policy would help prevent systemic blockages. This move comes amid Orbán’s history of opposing Western European countries on matters such as support for Ukraine.
Von der Leyen emphasized the importance of capitalizing on the current political shift, mentioning that Magyar’s administration is “committed to continuing to work with us” and appears aligned on the European agenda.
Brussels is likely to wield considerable influence over Magyar’s government, which is already facing financial repercussions due to the prior government’s conservative strategies. Part of Magyar’s campaign involved reversing these policies to retain funds for local needs.
In a notable display of power dynamics, it has been reported that the European Commission provided Magyar with a list of 27 conditions for securing funding, including significant demands related to immigration policy, particularly about asylum seekers entering the country.
However, it remains uncertain whether von der Leyen and her supporters can effectively sway Hungary’s new administration to abandon the national veto in foreign policy, or if other member states will also agree to relinquish this significant authority.
The veto power has historically been a cornerstone of the EU’s framework, allowing smaller nations to contribute to decision-making rather than letting larger countries, like France and Germany, dominate the process.
Yet, similar to trends in the United States, many Western European elites view this compromise as an obstacle to their ambitions and have sought to dismantle it.
Orbán has previously cautioned that relinquishing unanimous consent in foreign policy could lead to a situation where nations could be compelled into conflicts against their people’s wishes, undermining national sovereignty and self-determination.
Roberto Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia and a member of the Visegrad group, has also voiced strong opposition to the elimination of the veto, asserting that doing so would undermine the EU’s strength and integrity.
