The populist leader was in Stuttgart on Wednesday and sat next to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the game between Germany and Hungary, but politics was left far off the agenda.
The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbánvisited Berlin this Friday before Hungary takes over rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union over the next six months.
The populist leader was in Stuttgart on Wednesday and sat next to the German chancellor Olaf Scholz for the match between Germany and Hungarybut politics was far off the agenda.
Orbán received without honors
This it is the second time consecutive that Orban visits Scholz in Berlin without a press conference or being received with military honorsa formality normally granted in state visits.
While the EU council presidency has little power, it does choose which issues are top of the weekly agenda in Brussels and which are unimportant. Issues that are likely to be key for Orbán’s government include the accession of other member states to the EU, including Bosnia, Serbia, Moldavia y Ukraine.
The Hungarian leader has also expressed interest in the integration of the States of the Western Balkanspartly due to his friendship with Serbia. Both Orbán and the Serbian leader Aleksandar Vucic are seen asallies of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Will visit Meloni next week
Orbán has been on the back foot in the EU regarding immigration policies and anti-Ukraine stance, but despite the cold reception, Scholz managed to find time to meet with Orbán in the middle of a day full of meetings and events.
The Hungarian leader will also visit Italia to meet with the leader Giorgia Meloni next week as negotiations continue on the appointments of top EU officials at the end of the month. At least 15 of the 27 EU leaders must back the candidates over the next five years.
