Politico: EU wants to punish Hungary for its destructive policy towards Ukraine
In particular, they want to dismiss the Hungarian European Commissioner, who has a significant influence on the negotiations on membership in the bloc
The EU member states, which are dissatisfied with Hungary's obstruction of collective support for Ukraine, plan to limit the country's role in the next European Commission in response.
Source. This was reported by Politico on 30 May, citing sources.
Budapest has repeatedly opposed Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU, sanctions against Russia, undermined Western efforts to help Ukraine and maintained close relations with Moscow during the full-scale war.
Hungary's continued obstructionism has frustrated the EU, which needs unanimity in its support for Ukraine.
Sources told Politico that there is ‘no desire’ in the EU to allow Oliver Varhelyi, a Hungarian diplomat and current European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, to retain his position in the future commission.
This role is influential and extremely important for Ukraine as it negotiates its accession to the bloc.
Recently, Varghese found himself at the centre of a scandal after Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze claimed that he had been ‘threatened’ by the EU commissioner, who mentioned the attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and told him to be careful.
After the incident, Varhelyi said he was referring to him and expressed ‘very sincere regret’ that ‘a certain part of my phone conversation was taken out of context’.
‘After the Varhelyi disaster and the way Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is confronting (European Commission President) Ursula von der Leyen, there is no way she will trust him (or anyone in his circle) with anything important anymore,’ one diplomat told Politico.
Background. As reported the day before, Hungary is once again blocking negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. It is stalling for time until the EU presidency passes to Budapest, which will allow the talks to be rescheduled.
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