The European Commission will not attend at the highest level many events hosted by Hungary's presidency of the Council of the EU, a spokesperson said on July 15.
"In light of recent developments marking the start of the Hungarian Presidency, the President (Ursula von der Leyen) has decided that the European Commission will be represented at senior civil servant level only during informal meetings of the Council," said von der Leyen's spokesperson Eric Mamer.
This confirms earlier speculations that Brussels might boycott Hungary's chairmanship over Prime Minister Viktor Orban's supposed "peace mission" venture, which included trips to Moscow and Beijing.
"The College (of European Commissioners) visit to the Presidency will not take place," Mamer said, referring to a symbolic event held at the start of each rotating presidency.
The presidency role that is passed on between all member states on a six-month basis is mainly seen as a mediator between key EU institutions and a host to ministerial meetings. The presidency also sets out a policy agenda of the Council of the EU.
Orban's foreign trips, specifically his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping under the presidency's logo, sparked outrage across the EU, with Brussels stressing that Budapest's "peace outreach" does not fall within the role's mandate.
The European Commission's decision will affect only informal ministerial meetings that Hungary may decide to host but not formal gatherings that do not depend on the rotating presidency.
Apart from the EU's executive arm, individual member states are also reportedly considering boycotting Hungary's meetings.
In another snub to the Hungarian prime minister, the EU's policy chief Josep Borrell might hold a formal meeting at the same time as Budapest plans to host a foreign affairs summit in Budapest on Aug. 28-29. This would likely mean that most EU envoys would be absent from Hungary's event.
Martin Fornusek
