Hungary Assumes EU Council Presidency — 'Make Europe Great Again'

On July 1, 2024, Hungary assumed the rotating six-month presidency of the EU Council with the slogan 'Make Europe Great Again' — a deliberate echo of Donald Trump's MAGA branding. The presidency was immediately undermined: within days Orbán traveled to Moscow to meet Putin, then to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping on unauthorized 'peace missions.' EU leaders were furious. Multiple governments boycotted informal ministerial meetings held in Hungary, and senior Commission and Council officials refused to travel to Budapest for scheduled events.