The French President meets on Monday, the Hungarian Prime Minister, with whom divergences are numerous, but who can prove to be a potential ally on topics such as investments, nuclear or European defense.
Le Monde with AFP
This is the first trip of a French head of state in Hungary since 2007. Emmanuel Macron meets, Monday, December 13, in Budapest, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as part of a summit of countries of the group of Visegrad (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia). The relationship between the two men is not known to be the warmest.
“It is a political opponent but a European partner,” said Macron, thus, which is a loop of the capitals of the European Union (EU). “Whatever our political sensitivities, our choices, we have to work together for our Europe”.
“It is very clear that on the subject of the rule of law, there will be disagreements, but I think that on the subjects of sovereignty, on the subject of the growth model and on multiple subjects, it can There is also an ability to find useful compromises, “he added. Viktor Orban has often been quoted by Emmanuel Macron as the leader of a nationalist and sovereignist camp in the EU, to whom he opposes that of the Europhiles “Progressive”.
Understanding land
With Poland, Hungary has adopted several challenged laws in Brussels, including a text prohibiting the representation of homosexuality among children under 18 years. And like Warsaw, it disputes the supremacy of European law on national law. In response, the Commission launched several procedures for violation of the rule of law and the values of the EU, in particular a mechanism of “conditionality” of European aid, which blocks the payment of subsidies to recovery.
But these subjects “are not necessarily linked” to agreements that can be found on digital sovereignty, strengthening of defense Europe, a European investment budget or industrial alliances, has argued the French Presidency. The two leaders had already found land agreements when Emmanuel Macron received Viktor Orban in October 2019, particularly on the protection of borders and the need for a European defense.
Similarly, “despite the differences between a Liberal Emmanuel Macron and a Conservative Viktor Orban, important cooperation points exist, for example on the energy policy between these two nuclear supporters,” says Daniel Deak, Analyst Pro-Orban of the Hungarian Institute of the XXI e century.
To meet the opposition
The Elysee ensures that the French president will speak points of disagreement and has “not used to dodge”, while the LGBT + Hungarian community called him to evoke the question at his meeting. With M. Orban, in an open letter to the French stubborn magazine.
Upon his arrival in Budapest, scheduled at 11:30 am, Emmanuel Macron will be able to gather on the grave of the Philosopher Agnes Heller, who died in 2019, a figure of the opposition he had received in Paris in 2018.
In addition, he will meet Gergely Karacsony, the Mayor of Budapest, as well as other representatives of the anti-Orban parties, including Peter Marki-Zay, the unique opposition candidate who hopes, the legislative of April 2022, reverse The Hungarian Prime Minister, in power since 2010. What makes him the oldest EU leader in office since Angela Merkel.
“Mr. Macron, Hungary that you are about to visit is a country governed by the far right”, arrested him the mayor of a borough of Budapest, the sociologist Gabor Eross, denouncing “corruption” Generalized, the anti-LGBT + campaign, electoral fraud, the oligarchization of the economy and the massive repression of civil society “.