Diplomatic Surge in Budapest: Global Eyes Turn to Hungary

The European Political Community (EPC) summit is being held in Budapest on November 7. The aim of the meeting is for member states and their allies to discuss Europe's security challenges. The invitation underlines that addressing the current multiple crises - the Russia-Ukraine war, conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, migration and economic instability - is key to Europe's future. An EU summit will take place the day after the meeting, also in Budapest.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo: Hans Lucas via AFP)

The summits will also be attended by the president of the European Commission. The timing is particularly noteworthy given that it comes just days after the US presidential election and a week after the BRICS summit.

 

BRICS loose alliance taking shape

Andras Biro, an analyst at the XXI Century Institute, told Magyar Nemzet that the BRICS summit clearly showed that Russia has not become isolated within the international community, and that the leaders met in a very cordial atmosphere. Beyond the war in Ukraine, the most important issues centered on economic and potential financial cooperation, the expert stressed.

"BRICS has evolved beyond a forum for negotiating into a loose alliance in recent years,"

Andras Biro stressed.

BRICS is currently expanding to include emerging countries and countries that play an important role in world economy, such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey has also repeatedly voiced its intention to join the organization, which is a clear indication that the world order is changing and that these countries are gaining leverage.

 

The West also holds its meeting

Shortly after the BRICS summit, the West will also hold a diplomatic meeting, this time in a new format. The European Political Community (EPC) summit in Budapest starts with a plenary session, followed by breakout sessions on migration and economic security. The session on migration will address all aspects of illegal immigration, while the session on economic security will analyze the interconnectivity of energy, transport, information technology and global trade.

Preparations for the summit were also on the agenda at last week's meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and French President Emmanuel Macron.

What we are witnessing, according to the analyst, is a kind of show of force, which seeks to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on the European continent in a budding new (security) political structure.

Hungary's role is particularly significant as it currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.

There are a number of topics that have been discussed in the recent period, which will feature prominently at the summit, and which will have the world focusing on Budapest.

The concordance between the Draghi report and Viktor Orban's previous statements about the deterioration of Europe's competitiveness is significant, he pointed out. The Draghi report sheds light on the structural problems that Viktor Orban had pinpointed years earlier, but his words fell on deaf ears at the time. However, as Draghi is not only Italy’s former prime minister and ex-president of the European Central Bank, but also a genuine Eurocrat, he acknowledges in his proposal that the problem exists, while his reform proposals would throw Europe into debt.

The war in the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, spilled over into Europe, as European countries have imported religious-ethnic problems through the mass immigration of Muslims. All of this was clearly visible recently when the fighting in the Middle East prompted pro-Palestinian demonstrations in several major European cities, which often turned into pro-Hamas rallies. This aspect of migration therefore also generates problems in domestic politics as an impact of the Middle East conflict.

The outcome of the US presidential election will also have a major impact on the Middle East conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war. Donald Trump promised peace if elected, while after a victory by Kamala Harris, we can expect a continuation of the war.

The rotating EU presidency and the European Political Community meeting in Budapest provide a great opportunity for speaking out for peace, as all eyes around the world will be turned to Hungary,

the expert highlighted.

Western Europe has repeatedly stated that this war must continue until Ukraine wins, but we do not seem to be getting any closer to this moment. The peace plan designed by China and Brazil has been on the table for quite some time, and Hungary has also consistently called for resolving the conflict on realistic grounds, the expert said.

This meeting will be a good opportunity for Hungary to represent its position before the wider international community,

András Biro underlined.

 

Informal EU meeting in Hungary

One day after the summit of the European Political Community, Budapest will host the informal meeting of the leaders of EU member states.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend both meetings.

European Council President Charles Michel said the document, which they would like to adopt in Budapest, would be presented at the informal meeting, a day after the summit of the European Political Community. 

The declaration to be adopted in Budapest is aimed at boosting Europe's competitiveness.

It aims to increase economic growth and strengthen the competitive position of the member states in the global market. The draft is currently ten pages long, outlining strategic initiatives and cooperation policies to address common economic challenges.

Cover photo: French President Emmanuel Macron and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo: Hans Lucas via AFP)