Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today!
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has warned that the consequences of the Iran war “may echo for months or even years to come” (9:22), as the bloc’s executive rushes to shield energy-intensive industries from price hikes offering more help and relaxed state aid rules (12:29, 13:19).
Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar is in Brussels for high-level talks with the European Union about planned reforms that could help him regain access to billions of euros in frozen EU funds (10:38, 11:20, 16:11).
His visit comes as a leading MEP has called on the Hungarian European commissioner associated with the outgoing prime minister Viktor Orbán to resign, after the European parliament found “serious and prolonged management” failures in the department he ran (16:27).
And in less grim news,
French president Emmanuel Macron joined some diplomatic jokes with Britain’s King Charles and the US president, Donald Trump, responding to Charles’s speech at a state dinner in Washington last night (14:13).
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Hungarian commissioner urged to resign after European Parliament censors him for 'serious' management failures
in Brussels
In other Hungarian news from Brussels, a leading MEP has called on the country’s European commissioner to resign, after a European parliament found “serious and prolonged management” failures in the department he ran.
Olivér Várhelyi has been Hungary’s EU commissioner since 2019, after being appointed by outgoing prime minister Viktor Orbán.
It has been a controversial tenure marked by accusations that he ran EU enlargement policy, his role 2019-24, according to Hungarian government interests, downplaying concerns about democracy and the rule of law in candidate countries.
He has also been caught up in espionage allegations that relate to his time as Hungary’s top EU diplomat in Brussels, which he denies.
Now the European parliament has censored him during a vote on the routine sign-off of the EU budget. In a resolution adopted with 418 votes in favour, 207 against and 14 abstentions, the parliament said:
“Taken together, the past serious and prolonged management failures in DG NEAR [the enlargement department], the provision of inaccurate information to Parliament in the context of the discharge procedure and the additional concerns relating to the conduct and independence … demonstrate a pattern that is incompatible with the standards of accountability, reliability and sound administration required of a member of the commission.”
The MEP leading the parliament’s work on the budget signoff procedure, Green MEP Daniel Freund, went further and called on Várhelyi to resign.
“Such management failures raise serious questions. Add to that espionage allegations, and my conclusion is clear: Várhelyi must resign.”
Várhelyi has been contacted for comment via the European Commission.
It’s an interesting moment for this bruising indictment to land, just as prime minister elect Péter Magyar arrives in Brussels for highly anticipated meetings with EU leaders.
Magyar has already called on other Orbán appointees to resign.
