Analyst: Commissioner's Portfolio Offer a Sign of Recognition of Hungary's Medical Achievements

Oliver Varhelyi, Hungary’s nominee for EU commissioner, has been assigned the health and animal welfare portfolio. Mr. Varhelyi previously served as commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement policy for five years. Laszlo Dornfeld, senior analyst at the Budapest-based Center for Fundamental Rights, provided several possible reasons for Ursula von der Leyen’s decision.

Ursula von der Leyen, az EB elnöke és Várhelyi Olivér uniós biztos. Fotó: AFP

– After being in charge for neighborhood and enlargement policy, what does the health and animal welfare portfolio mean for Hungary? Was this role intended as a punishment by Ursula von der Leyen?

– First of all, it’s important to note that the candidates and portfolios announced by Von der Leyen are by no means set in stone and could still change before the Commission is formally established. Hungary made an open request to retain the enlargement portfolio, and the refusal to grant this is clearly a political message and undoubtedly a punishment. Let’s not forget that Hungary not only opposed Von der Leyen’s nomination but has also engaged in significant conflicts with her on major political issues such as war, migration, and gender. This decision likely also catered to the leftist-liberal and center-right coalition backing her, who would have been displeased had Hungary kept its previous portfolio.

However, while the health and animal welfare portfolio has less prestige, it's far from being as weak as the dollar media claims. In fact, it could be seen as a recognition of Hungary’s centuries-old medical traditions and achievements.

– Health policy falls under the member states' remit. What can Oliver Varhelyi do, as commissioner, and do you think this role has gained significance since the COVID-19 pandemic?

– While health policy is indeed a national competency, the pandemic has shown how critical this field has become. 

Under Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the EU’s role is largely consultative and supportive. However, initiatives like the European Health Union are reshaping the boundaries.

The EHU's aim is to ensure that the EU can respond more effectively to future health crises, and it’s linked to significant reforms, including those targeting the pharmaceutical industry, to ensure access to affordable medicine for all. As health commissioner, Mr. Varhelyi will have ample room to manoeuvre in this expanding area. Health and medicine are vital for Europe, as Hungarian EU Affairs Minister Janos Boka also underlined, since they offer a potential breakthrough for Europe’s declining competitiveness.

Honoured to be nominated for the Health and Animal Welfare portfolio.

As a Hungarian 🇭🇺 Commissioner-designate this nomination is honouring the excellence of Hungarian medical professionals from Semmeilweis to Szent-Györgyi or Katalin Karikó and many others.
1/2 https://t.co/1LfQaQe9vi

— Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) September 17, 2024

– What exactly does the role of an animal welfare commissioner entail?

– Animal welfare has been a core EU policy for decades now, and it's not to be underestimated. Witin the framework of EU integration, we've had regulations on animal protection for 40 years, primarily focused on livestock but also covering animals kept for laboratory experiments, wild animals and household pets.

The purpose of these rules is to ensure that livestock are kept in humane conditions, which in turn impacts the quality of the food and products derived from them.

The role of any animal welfare commissioner is to promote these standards, with several key issues currently being on the table for European lawmakers, such as banning the caging of breeding animals.

– Oliver Varhelyi faces yet another test: a hearing before the European Parliament. In the past, some nominees have failed to pass this stage. What are the chances that Hungary will need to put forward a new candidate?

– I believe Oliver Varhelyi has done an excellent job over the past five years. If the decision were based solely on his professional merits, there could be no doubts. However, politics plays a significant role, especially since he was nominated by the Hungarian government, which has a turbulent relationship with the the European Parliament's leftist-liberal, globalist majority. Other factors could sway the outcome of the hearing, especially the controversies swirling around Mr. Varhelyi, including his notorious remark: “How many idiots are still here?” There’s also the issue of freezing the Palestinian aid, which, although a collective decision, was publicly blamed on Mr. Varhelyi after Von der Leyen and others have distanced themselves. Still, although this lower-profile portfolio might appease the blood thirst of globalists, it’s hard to predict at this stage whether Mr. Varhelyi will pass the parliamentary hearing.

– Is it possible that after the hearings, Oliver Varhelyi could be stripped of the health portfolio and only be responsible for animal welfare?

– It cannot be ruled out that the European Parliament may attempt to further restrict Mr. Varhelyi’s portfolio. However, I find it more likely that if the intention is to punish Hungary for its government’s policies, Mr. Varhelyi would simply be rejected. Splitting the portfolio and assigning parts of it to another commissioner would create significant political headaches for Ursula von der Leyen, who is already in a difficult position, trying to reward her supporters while consolidating power within the EC. 

Hungarian diplomats are getting ready for a fight in the European Parliament to stop their designated Commissioner from losing the health part of the EU Health and Animal Welfare portfolio handed him by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. https://t.co/36hAwRMAQG

— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) September 20, 2024

Cover photo: Oliver Varhelyi and Ursula von der Leyen (Photo: AFP)