The catchphrase is borrowed from Donald Trump as Hungary takes over the presidency of the EU Council from 1 July.
The main slogan becomes "Make Europe great again" – Make Europe great again.
The catchphrase is a clear nod to Trump's well-known "Make America great again" from the presidential campaign in the USA ahead of the 2016 election. It is also a clear signal that the leadership in Hungary politically feels much closer to the former president in Washington than to the EU leadership in Brussels.
We will be an "honest broker" and cooperate loyally with all member states and the European institutions. But we represent a very clear European alternative, and that will also show, says EU Minister János Bóka at a press conference in Budapest together with government spokesman Zoltán Kovács.
China and Competition
Hungary takes over the baton as the presidency of the EU Council from 1 July until the end of the year. Nowadays, the presidency is limited to mainly leading meetings and ensuring that member states can find common ground. At the same time, one also has a great opportunity to drive the business in the direction one wishes.
For example, Bóka hopes to be able to develop and improve cooperation with China.
The focus will be on seven areas, including increased competitiveness, defence cooperation, partnerships with countries outside the EU to strengthen the external borders, and steps forward for all countries in the accession process.
Not what Trump wants?
The Hungarian government and its Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have long been on a collision course with most of the rest of the EU. Orbán is instead one of Donald Trump's strongest allies in Europe, and a frequent guest at Trump-friendly events in the USA.
Bóka and Kovács joke at the same time that the EU-critical Trump himself might not stand up for their slogan.
I don't know if Donald Trump has ever wanted to make Europe great again, says Bóka in Budapest.
The EU's presidency has as its main task to lead the Council meetings and ongoing negotiations with the European Parliament and the European Commission. All regular summit meetings are held in Brussels under the leadership of the Council's permanent president, currently Belgium's former Prime Minister Charles Michel.
The presidency rotates among all member states for six months at a time. This is what the list looks like for the coming years:
2024: Belgium (spring), Hungary (autumn)
2025: Poland (spring), Denmark (autumn)
2026: Cyprus (spring), Ireland (autumn)
Sweden has previously held the presidency during the spring of 2001, the autumn of 2009, and the spring of 2023. The next presidency will be at the earliest in 2036.
