Orban consolidates allies and seeks to shift balance of power in Europe: Politico
The Prime Minister of Hungary is not as isolated as it might seem at first glance.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán managed to unite far-right politicians in Europe around his image and the Fidesz party, creating a coalition of like-minded people and neutralizing attempts to isolate him politically. As informs According to Politico, under Orbán’s leadership, a new far-right group, Patriots of Europe, has become the third largest in the European Parliament.
“The success of Orbán’s initiative is an outstanding achievement. The creation of the Patriots group shows that Orbán is much less isolated than expected and is able to form a coalition of like-minded people who support his idea of a ‘Europe of nation states'”, the publication notes.
However, according to Politico, this consolidation will not change the balance of power in the parliament in the short term and will not have a significant impact on EU politics, as centrist pro-European parties still have a large majority in Brussels.
“Thus, the Patriots will remain in opposition with limited opportunities to influence the EU legislative process. While the group’s size will provide it with more funding, visibility and influence in parliamentary sessions, it will be denied meaningful representation in parliament’s governing bodies, such as committee chairs.”, – the article emphasizes.
However, over time, changes in the balance of power in the EU Council, which is the real center of power, may be more significant, writes Politico.
Currently, the “Patriots” have only one seat in the Council – Orban, but also have influence on two other seats – the Netherlands and Italy. The number of “Patriots” in the EU Council is likely to increase after the autumn elections in Austria and the Czech Republic, where more far-right governments may come to power.
“Such a development could undermine the EU’s cohesion in key areas, in particular in the budget, enlargement and foreign policy, especially in relation to Ukraine”, the publication emphasizes.
So far, the EU has managed to bypass Orbán’s veto on Ukraine through diplomatic measures and financial pressure. But with a larger and more determined group, it will be a much more difficult task, Politico concludes.
