Hungary’s Council Presidency will have to wait until the end of this year for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to present his agenda – “making Europe great again” – to the European Parliament.
According to the ‘Euronews’ publication, Orbán’s attempts to address MEPs at the opening session of the new European Parliament in Strasbourg were rebuffed by parliament leaders, who could not find a place on the agenda.
With the long-running conference, the heads of government have the opportunity to address parliament when they assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, present their agenda for the six months leading the intergovernmental political negotiations and answer questions from MEPs. .
According to multiple sources, Orbán has indicated to the European Parliament that he may appear in plenary on Tuesday or Wednesday (July 16 and 17) to present an agenda for the Hungarian presidency, to which Budapest has given the motto “Make Europe Great Again”. However, the Conference of Presidents – the leaders of the political groups that set the agenda – said there was no place on the agenda at the time.
Parliament’s work is busier than usual, accusing the Council of not listening to Parliament’s opinion on the timing of the European elections, a source revealed. “Five years ago, we were able to accommodate the new Finnish presidency during the last summer session because the elections were held in May, allowing for two plenary sessions before the summer,” the source points out. “We warned that the June elections would have consequences for our calendar.”
The new European Parliament is to be formed by a vote of the President and 14 Vice-Presidents, requiring both Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Thursday, a vote is scheduled to confirm the re-appointment of Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission. Friday, though theoretically available, is unlikely for Orban.
The agenda for next week’s plenary will be finalized this Thursday during a conference of heads of parliamentary committees. “There is likely to be a last minute accommodation”, adds the first source.
Therefore, the Hungarian president is not expected to present his plan to MEPs before September, the spokesperson told ‘Euronews’.
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