Few EU presidencies have rocked the bloc as much as the current one, held by Hungary. European leaders, many MEPs, and EU Commissioners, were rattled by what Prime Minister Viktor Orban called his peace mission in July, which included a meeting with President Zelensky of Ukraine – but also with Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump.  And at the beginning of September, several European governments publicly questioned whether the Hungarian leadership respected European values. Meanwhile, a row continues to brew between Brussels and Budapest over the issue of migrants. We take stock of Hungary’s rotating presidency at its half-way point.

 

Programme prepared by Isabelle Romero, Luke Brown and Perrine Desplats