Today I will write about the Hungarian perception of the outcome of the hard bargaining that took place in the conference room of the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels. My chief reason for doing so is the widespread misinformation, emanating from government sources, that it was the Orbán-led Visegrád 4 countries that put together the EU leadership package. The source of this misinformation or perhaps even disinformation was most likely a tweet from the inveterate tweeter Zoltán Kovács, Orbán’s most talented communications director. Here is the questionable passage that appeared on Twitter yesterday: “In our unity, the Visegrád Four have again demonstrated our growing strength and influence over the direction of EU. After defeating Weber, the V4 prime ministers have toppled Timmermans as well. As negotiations continue, we have put on the EU table a package that is winning acceptance among a growing number of member countries: The Visegrád Four support German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen as the next EU Commission president.” Kovács is telling the world that it was the four V4 countries that came up with the idea of “the package.” It is unclear whether the package refers only to the Commission president (which would be a strange use of the word ‘package’), to the four candidates who were eventually nominated, or to some other constellation of candidates.
The Justus Lipsius Building in Brussels
The government media immediately picked up the story. Origo introduced the news under the headline “Victory! The Visegrád 4’s chosen one will be nominated to head the European Union.” Magyar Nemzet followed suit by claiming that “the leadership package suggested by the V4 is receiving ever increasing support among the leaders of the member states.”
Those of you who are familiar with the practices of the servile government media in Hungary know that news that proclaims the greatness of Hungary and the Visegrád 4 will spread like wildfire to the dozens of pro-Fidesz internet sites. And it certainly did, with some help from the prime minister.
Late last night Orbán gave a quick interview to the M1 state TV channel, which was immediately available on the prime minister’s website. What did he have to say about the Visegrád 4’s role in the negotiations? The prime minister wasn’t as expansive on the topic as his spokesman, but he did drop a sentence that suggested his active role in calling the attention of his fellow politicians to Ursula von der Leyen. Faced with a direct question by the reporter on the circumstances of von der Leyen’s emergence as a candidate, Orbán said the following: “There are tactical elements to such series of negotiations. It must be determined what should be said when, whose name should be brought up, and what kinds of suggestions to make.” That was all, and he promptly changed the subject. But by talking about what he considered to be important tactical elements, he pretty well intimated that it was he who devised the timetable that led to von der Leyen’s nomination.
I think we have to conclude that the original plan was to sell the story that Ursula von der Leyen’s nomination was something the Visegrád 4 initiated. By today, however, they woke up and decided this was overreach, which would be received with distaste in the foreign press and subsequently by members of the European Council. Moreover, independent Hungarian reporters were diligently following the foreign news coverage, where the true story of the new president’s nomination was widely discussed. So, this morning Gergely Gulyás, Orbán’s chief of staff, had the job of setting the record straight; he admitted it was a French-German proposal that brought Ursula von der Leyen’s name to the negotiating table.
As for Viktor Orbán’s reaction to the so-called package he eventually voted for, I would describe it as cautious watchfulness. He is most likely aware of the background and political philosophy of Ursula von der Leyen, who was born in Brussels while her father was serving as one of the original European bureaucrats whom Orbán hates so much. He must also know that she is one of the most ardent supporters of a future United States of Europe. If he didn’t know it earlier, he must know by now that she and her family took in one of those “illegal migrants” Orbán has been frightening Hungarians with. He must know that she severely criticized his cruel treatment of refugees. Moreover, she, unlike Angela Merkel, voted for same-sex marriage in the German parliament a couple of years ago. She is far, very far from someone Orbán should find to be a desirable candidate.
Last night, during his television interview, Orbán described his requirements for top-level EU politicians. They have to like and respect Hungary, they should know the history of Central Europe, and they should have positive memories of the region. Naturally, they should share his views on migration and see the dangers in it. In addition, a good EU politician should recognize the importance of Christian culture. If all these characteristics are present, there is a chance of proper and positive policies emanating from Brussels which the Orbán regime can support. He admitted that there will still “be strife because there are differences of opinion [between the center and the countries of Central Europe] and there will be disputes, but today [he sees] a greater chance of a successful outcome of these struggles than before.” The difference between now and past years is that “we now have the power … to stand up for our interests [with] greater chances of success than ever before.” In brief, Brussels, get ready, a stronger and more determined Central Europe is heading west.