DGAP Regionalforum München cordially invites you to a German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) event
with
András Rácz, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, DGAP
and
Thu Nguyen, Deputy Director, Jacques Delors Centre
On July 1 – shortly after the European Parliament elections in early June – Hungary will assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. In this role, it will be responsible for setting the EU’s political agenda, facilitating discussions among member states, and representing the institution vis-à-vis the European Parliament and the European Commission. Yet Hungary is currently undergoing an Article 7 procedure to determine whether it poses a risk of a “serious and persistent breach” to the EU’s fundamental values. It has already had a significant portion of its EU funds frozen due to rule-of-law deficiencies.
In our Power Lunch session, we will ask András Rász and Thu Nguyen to assess the prospects for Hungary’s council presidency under these circumstances. We will explore whether Viktor Orban’s government can act as an honest broker for the EU given its illiberal system and close ties to Kremlin politics and how to protect and enforce the core values of the EU in times of global threats to democracies and the rule of law.
The online Power Lunch format facilitates in-depth informal discussion between our members and actors in the foreign and security policy sectors. You will have the opportunity to actively participate and ask questions.
The event will be moderated by Maximilian Keller, Chairman, Young German Council on Foreign Relations.