EU ministers take a very public swipe at Hungary over a lack of respect for the bloc's values
Senior government ministers from Ireland, Luxembourg and Belgium have taken a public and potentially embarrassing swipe at Hungary
BRUSSELS (AP) — Senior government ministers from Ireland, Luxembourg and Belgium took a very public swipe at Hungary on Tuesday, raising questions about whether Prime Minister Vitkor Orbán’s stridently nationalist cabinet respects European Union values and standards.
Hungary took over the 27-nation bloc’s rotating presidency in July. Orbán immediately made a surprise trip to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, angering several of his EU counterparts, who insisted that the Hungarian leader did not represent them.
“I will ask also my colleague (European Affairs Minister János Bóka) if tomorrow he plans a trip to Moscow, because this seems to be a habit for Hungarian politicians,” Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said at a meeting in Budapest.
Beyond its ties with Russia, Orbán’s government has irritated its EU partners by promoting hostility to migrants and LGBTQ+ rights, and by controlling public media. Millions of euros in EU funds have also been frozen over concerns about democratic backsliding in Hungary.
