{"id":381196,"date":"2024-07-29T12:40:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T10:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/2024\/07\/29\/ungheria-varhelyi-commissario-candidato\/"},"modified":"2024-08-07T17:54:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T15:54:52","slug":"hungary-varhelyi-candidate-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/2024\/07\/29\/hungary-varhelyi-candidate-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"Orb\u00e1n confirms V\u00e1rhelyi. But the road to the College of Commissioners is full of obstacles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels – Today (July 29), the Hungarian government added\u00a0Oliv\u00e9r V\u00e1rhelyi <\/strong>to the\u00a0list of commissioner candidates<\/a> for the new College still headed by Ursula von der Leyen<\/strong>. However, while the confirmations of other outgoing members of the von der Leyen Commission – from Slovakia’s Maro\u0161 \u0160ef\u010dovi\u010d<\/strong> to Latvia’s Valdis Dombrovskis<\/strong> to the Dutch Wopke Hoekstra<\/strong>\u00a0– do not seem particularly problematic, the same cannot be said for Budapest’s choice, which could run into skepticism (if not\u00a0more) in Brussels both for the portfolio to assign to Hungary in the second von der Leyen term and the name of the candidate commissioner<\/strong>, who has been at the center of controversy and heavy bickering,\u00a0especially in the last years of the legislature.<\/p>\n

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\"Oliv\u00e9r<\/a>
From left: European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy, Oliv\u00e9r V\u00e1rhelyi, and European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen<\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Following my recent telephone consultation with Commission President\u00a0von der Leyen,\u00a0my nominee for the EU Commission\u00a0is once again Oliv\u00e9r V\u00e1rhelyi<\/strong>,” Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/strong>, announced with a post<\/a> on X, explaining that “over the past five years, Commissioner V\u00e1rhelyi\u00a0has proved\u00a0that the EU can make a difference as a positive force in its neighborhood and beyond.<\/strong> He will do an excellent job in the upcoming Commission!.” On\u00a0Wednesday (July 24),\u00a0in a letter to heads of state and government<\/a>, the number one EU executive\u00a0made clear her demand for commissioner candidates (to be submitted by August 30): one man and one woman, except for those governments that decide to confirm the outgoing commissioner<\/strong>. Within minutes of this morning’s appointment, the current Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Commissioner thanked<\/a> the Hungarian premier for the “immense honor” of being nominated to “continue to serve as a Hungarian member of the European Commission” and relaunched “our joint work with President von der Leyen<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

However, V\u00e1rhelyi’s confirmation for another five years at the European Commission is anything but a foregone conclusion, primarily because of the Hungarian commissioner’s portfolio. Particularly after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Kyiv’s (as well as Moldova’s and Georgia’s) application for membership in the Union, the issue of EU enlargement has become one of the most sensitive and crucial<\/strong> for the European Commission and the entire Union. At the same time, Orb\u00e1n’s\u00a0Hungary has distinguished itself as the most problematic member country<\/strong> on this front: it\u00a0tried to block<\/a> the start of Ukraine’s accession negotiations, showed,\u00a0to say the least, questionable positions on the Russian invasion<\/a>, prevented the adoption of sanctions regimes against Serbia and against Republika Srpska (the Serbian entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina) because of the strong link between illiberal regimes that is endangering the balance in the Western Balkan region. In other words, at a time when the Union is faced with one of the biggest challenges in its history – enlarging to 10 more aspirants and at the same time reforming internally – entrusting\u00a0Hungary with the levers of command of a political sphere that has suddenly become vital may<\/strong>\u00a0not be von der Leyen<\/strong>‘s first choice when assigning the various portfolios to future commissioners.<\/p>\n

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\"Oliver<\/a>
The European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy, Oliv\u00e9r V\u00e1rhelyi, at the European Parliament<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

Then there is the question of V\u00e1rhelyi’s name because the Hungarian commissioner has been arguably the most controversial member of the entire von der Leyen cabinet. Various sources within the Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) tell Eunews<\/em> of frequent discontent at different levels over the positions and modus operandi<\/em> of the commissioner in charge<\/strong>, the same reasons that have led to harsh clashes and controversies with the European Parliament. In January last year, the annual report on the Common Foreign and Security Policy adopted in the plenary session showed the concerns of MEPs\u00a0for “reports that\u00a0the commissioner for EU Enlargement deliberately seeks to circumvent and undermine the centrality of democratic reforms and the rule of law<\/strong> in the EU accession countries<\/strong>.” Only a month later, V\u00e1rhelyi was caught saying\u00a0– without noticing that the microphone was still on – “How many idiots are there still?<\/strong>” speaking of the MEPs who spoke at the question time<\/em> on strengthening the EU enlargement policy in the Western Balkans.<\/p>\n

Before being appointed commissioner in 2019, V\u00e1rhelyi\u00a0was ambassador in Brussels for Orb\u00e1n’s<\/strong> Hungary. Despite the role of independence that should distinguish members of the EU executive from national interests, the head of EU Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement is suspected of having\u00a0endorsed the secessionist positions of the Bosnian Serb president, Milorad Dodik<\/strong>, and of being the bridgehead of the Budapest government at the Commission to obstruct economic sanctions against institutional and democratic crisis<\/a> perpetrators in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The problem for Hungary’s commissioner candidate is that his confirmation must go right through the European Parliament. <\/strong>Between September and October,\u00a0each parliamentary committee will review candidates<\/a> with written questions and in public hearings, each based on its area of expertise. The MEPs will be able to reject V\u00e1rhelyi and ask for a new name in Budapest<\/strong>, whether von der Leyen\u00a0confirms him to head enlargement policy (the competence would be in the Foreign Affairs Committee) or if she\u00a0assigns him to other duties in the new College of Commissioners.<\/p>\n