After one of the most controversial EU summits in recent memory, which tried to crack the explosive issues of asylum and border controls, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on 5 July in Berlin. It will be their first official bilateral talks in 3 years. Besides their different stances on migration policy, there are other controversial issues between both governments, including ongoing EU concerns about free media and restrictions to democratic civil society in Hungary as well as diverging views on EU’s foreign policy towards China, Russia and Ukraine. The two countries’ Foreign Ministers most recently met for extensive talks on 5 June, and also underlined intensive economic cooperation between both countries as well as shared interest in maintaining EU cohesion amidst rapidly worsening global environment.
At this working breakfast, we will discuss outcomes of Merkel – Orban meeting and implications for relations between Berlin and Budapest, and Hungary’s positions in the EU.
The event is organized by the DGAP’s Robert Bosch Center, will be held in English and under the Chatham House Rule.
