In response to Hungary’s controversial diplomatic efforts towards Ukraine, the informal meeting of EU foreign and defence ministers will take place in Brussels instead of Budapest, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday (22 July).

“We must send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal, that contradicting EU policy (…) must have consequences,” Borrell told reporters after Monday’s meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, announcing the change of venue.

“But I refuse the word boycott, the meeting will take place and Hungary will be there,” he added.

Pressure for such a move has grown after EU countries reprimanded Hungary and its Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his self-declared “peace missions” to Ukraine, Russia, China and Florida. Budapest has never explicitly explained whether they were carried out in the capacity of a national or EU presidency.

Hungary holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU until 31 December.

The European Commission last week asked its commissioners not to attend informal ministerial meetings during Hungary’s six-month EU presidency, in protest at Orbán’s solo diplomatic efforts on Ukraine.

Only the informal meeting of foreign and defence ministers remained, as this is the only EU ministerial formation not convened by Borrell nor by the rotating EU presidency.

According to EU diplomats, 13 member states wanted the meeting to take place in Budapest, five said they would not come and eight left it to Borrell to decide.

But since 25 EU countries – minus Slovakia and Hungary themselves – supported the condemnation of Orbán’s initiative, Borrell decided to go ahead with the decision anyway, he said.

(Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic)

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