Orban may be threatened with the end of Hungary's presidency in the EU Council

The EU has begun to talk about punishing Hungary and the government of Viktor Orban for its international activity and fake "mediation" to end the war in Ukraine, including the possibility of an early end to Hungary's presidency of the EU Council.

Source: Yevropeiska Pravda article.

 It is reported that Orban, whose country took over the presidency of the EU Council on July 1, began to use this status without the consent of other EU members, and this began to irritate Hungary's European partners.

The publication emphasizes that the EU has never terminated the presidency of a presiding state ahead of schedule, but there are opportunities for this.

In particular, Article 16 of the Lisbon Treaty only states that the presidency "shall be exercised on the basis of equal rotation," and the terms and order of this honorable mission are determined at the EU summit. A qualified majority vote is sufficient to approve it.

Thus, there are no legal obstacles to take away Hungary's seat at the next summit. It is noted that, for example, it is possible to shorten Hungary's presidency and transfer these functions to Poland, which is to chair the EU Council from January 1, 2025, but will technically be ready to take over a few months earlier.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 10/07/2024