Six EU countries will boycott ministerial meetings during Hungary’s presidency
This decision was taken as a sign of protest against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's negotiations with Vladimir Putin.
Sweden’s Minister for European Affairs, Jessica Rosvall, said that Sweden will not send ministers to meetings organized by Hungary during its EU Council presidency, as a sign of protest. She reported this in comments Reuters agency.
According to Rosvall, this decision was made in response to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s talks with Vladimir Putin.
“Hungary’s actions during the presidency of the EU Council are harmful and must have consequences. Therefore, Sweden will not participate at the political level in the informal government meetings in July”, she said.
Rosvall emphasized that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland also joined the boycott. At ministerial meetings, these countries will be represented at the level of civil servants, not ministers.
She noted that other EU member states are also considering the possibility of similar actions. Earlier, several European leaders criticized Viktor Orban’s “peacemaking” visit to Moscow.
The legal service of the European Union established that the Hungarian Prime Minister’s negotiations with Putin contradict EU treaties.
