The last two times he made the trip to Brussels, in March 2022 and February 2023, to meet the European heads of state and government, Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed as a hero. On Thursday June 27, the Ukrainian president visited the Belgian capital again, two days after the Europeans’ decision to open kyiv’s accession negotiations to the European Union (EU). But this time, even if they gave him a warm welcome, the Twenty-Seven had another concern in mind: the appointments of “top jobs” in community institutions.
Less than three weeks after the European elections of June 9, they reappointed the German Ursula von der Leyen to the presidency of the Commission, appointed the Portuguese Antonio Costa to that of the European Council and chose the Estonian Kaja Kallas to take the lead of European diplomacy.
The matter was well underway, although the treaties provide that these appointments be validated by a qualified majority of the member states. Most capitals, starting with Paris and Berlin, in fact defended this team. It was negotiated between the European heads of state and government of the three political groups – the Christian Democrats of the European People’s Party (EPP), the Social Democrats (S&D) and the Liberals of Renew – who form a majority in Parliament European, able to vote on the Commission’s legislative projects.
Viktor Orban had warned that he would not be satisfied with this agreement, which, he regrets, forgets the votes of all those who, on June 9, did not vote for one of the three coalition formations. While the radical right has progressed almost everywhere in Europe, the latter now has some 400 seats out of a total of 720 in the Strasbourg hemicycle. “European voters were deceived”, the right “formed a coalition of lies with the left and the liberals. We do not support this shameful deal! »the Hungarian Prime Minister raged.
“Meloni has put herself in a corner with Orban”
As announced, he opposed the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen, whom he had made, during his campaign for the European elections, the woman to be killed for her positions that were too progressive in his eyes. The Hungarian leader, close to the Kremlin, also voted against that of Kaja Kallas, who, since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, has advocated an uncompromising position towards Moscow. Viktor Orban, on the other hand, supported the nomination of Antonio Costa.
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