Magyar in Poland to revive ties with the Visegrád group | EURACTIV FR

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar took advantage of his first official trip abroad this week to renew ties with Poland and relaunch regional cooperation within the Visegrád Group (V4), thus marking a clear break with Viktor Orbán’s foreign policy.

The visit to Krakow, Warsaw and Gdańsk comes as the Magyar government faces growing domestic pressure over Ukrainian grain imports and attempts to push through far-reaching constitutional reforms in Budapest.

Accompanied by Foreign Minister Anita Orbán, Hungarian met Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw to repair relations strained under the previous Fidesz government due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“If the history of Hungary has been difficult, that of Poland has been even more so,” declared Magyar alongside Tusk. “Yet Poland is still there … and Hungary too. HAS”

Magyar invited Tusk, as well as the Czech and Slovak prime ministers, to a V4 summit in Budapest at the end of June. Tusk hailed Magyar’s election as a “fantastic victory” which gives new hope for closer cooperation in Brussels.

The transition has not gone smoothly. During a press briefing, a Polish spokesperson has mistakenly described Magyar twice as “Prime Minister Orbán”, highlighting the lingering shadow of the former Hungarian leader.

Magyar also confirmed that former Polish officials Zbigniew Ziobro and Marcin Romanowski, who were granted asylum in Hungary under Orbán while facing corruption charges in Poland, had left the country shortly before the change of government.

“Hungary will not be a refuge for internationally wanted criminals,” Magyar assured.

Pression on Ukrainian grain

Magyar is also under pressure domestically following the expiration of Hungary’s unilateral ban on Ukrainian agricultural imports, as well as decrees issued by the previous government.

The National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) of Hungary urged the government to quickly reinstate restrictions, warning that cheap Ukrainian grain could harm domestic producers.

Regarding Ukraine, Magyar described kyiv as the victim of the war and reaffirmed its right to defend itself, while emphasizing the need for a long-term ceasefire.

He also linked Hungary’s support for the opening of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations to guarantees for the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia.

Constitutional reform

After meeting with former Polish President Lech Wałęsa in Gdańsk, Magyar cut short a planned trip to Vienna to attend to urgent government business in Budapest.

Wednesday evening, the Tisza government but Hungarian introduced his first constitutional amendmentproviding in particular for a limitation to eight years of the duration of the mandate of Prime Ministers.

This proposal would also pave the way for the dissolution of the controversial state-backed foundations created under Orbán, as well as the abolition of the Sovereignty Protection Office, set up by Fidesz in 2023.

(aw)