An unexpected rapprochement took place at a meeting between the French president and members of the Visegrad Four. Although Emmanuel Macron pointed to “problems with the rule of law and discrimination against sexual minorities, which is why the European Commission is conducting proceedings against Warsaw and Budapest”, he also found common ground with his Hungarian counterpart.
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And its theme is, among other things, a look at what the European Union’s defense policy should look like. Orbán promised support for the three pillars of the French program during the European presidency, which the country will take over in January. These are the creation of an autonomous EU military force, the promotion of nuclear energy and the strengthening of the Union’s common agricultural policy, states station FRANCE24.
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“It simply came to our notice then. Firstly, that we both love our countries, secondly, that we are both working to make Europe stronger, and we also agree that Europe needs strategic autonomy, “said Orbán.
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“Hungary’s relationship with President Macron is a respectful relationship,” Orbán said. “France is home to encyclopedists. They are the best in terms of definitions, so we accept their definitions: What we have heard from the President recently is that we are political opponents and at the same time European partners, “Orbán added.
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“We have political disagreements that are well known, but we are willing to work together for Europe and be loyal partners,” Macron said.
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Macron’s conciliatory tone diary The Times explains the need for broad support for its goal of using the EU Presidency to promote its vision of Europe as a sovereign economic and military force. According to French commentators, it may also be an attempt to reach far-right voters ahead of the April presidential election, admiring Orbán’s tough nationalist and anti-immigrant policies.
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Until recently, Macron used harsher terms than any other EU leader in addressing the Hungarian prime minister. The thorn in Macron’s eye was mainly Orbán’s support for his far-right opponents, Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour.
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Macron, for example, recently said that Orbán was the leader of European populist nationalists. The French president also rejected claims by opponents of compulsory vaccination that he was acting like a dictator. “We are not an authoritarian state. We are not Hungary, Turkey or anything like that, “Macron responded.
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However, Macron mentioned issues that caused the conflict between Brussels and Budapest, such as the threat to the rule of law and democracy or the Hungarian restrictions on the rights of the LGBT + community. But for the last time, the French head of state heard criticism from the Hungarian opposition. “Mr. Macron, the Hungary you have just visited is run by far-right governments.” he said the president is a sociologist and mayor of one of Budapest’s Gabor Eross districts.
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The arrival of the new German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, helped Macron’s chances to push through the big EU agenda, which he announced in 2017, writes The Times. While Scholz’s predecessor Angela Merkel was heavily reserved for Macron’s plans, the new chancellor, according to local media, indicated that he was in favor of Macron’s ideas.
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“We want to strengthen Europe and work together on European sovereignty,” Scholz said on his first trip abroad to Paris. According to The Times, he used a language that the Elysee Palace is very fond of.
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Major changes, but this time primarily to strengthen French sovereignty, would be proposed by Macron’s rivals, far-right candidates Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour, Republican candidate Valérie Pécresse or far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, if successful.
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