2024-07-04
22 分钟The European Union is made up of 27 sovereign member states and has several governing institutions. On 1 July 2024, Viktor Orbán’s government will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months. This diplomatic role may present its challenges because Hungary takes a divergent view from centrist colleagues in a few areas, two of them being climate policy and support for Ukraine. And in the past Hungary has used its veto to stall votes on policies that support Ukraine. After recent European elections hard-right parties now have a greater presence in the European Parliament and they have different priorities from their more centrist counterparts. The question is how the far-right, together with Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the EU, can alter the direction of European politics. Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Louise Clarke Researchet: Matt Toulson Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Production co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermott Contributors: Pawel Zerka, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations in Paris Thu Nguyen, deputy director of the EU policy think tank the Jacques Delors Centre in Berlin Dimitar Bechev, from the School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford and Senior fellow at Carnegie Europe Marta Mucznik, senior EU analyst for International Crisis Group (Photo:Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Mihaly Orban. Credit: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.
You are actually radioactive and everything alive.
Is Unexpected Elements from the BBC World Service Search for unexpected elements wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Welcome to the Inquiry on the BBC World Service with me, Tanya Beckett.
One question from four expert witnesses and an answer.
He is the European leader who adheres least to the values of the European Union and in fact has a reputation for being the most disruptive.
He's vetoed Europe's support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, railed against climate policies, and even blocked the reform of EU migration policy.
But from July 1, his country, Hungary, took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months.
The Council is where government ministers from each EU country meet to negotiate laws and coordinate policies.
This week on the inquiry, we're asking what will a Hungarian presidency mean for the EU?
Part 1 the elections the European Union is made up of 27 sovereign member states and has several governing institutions.
The one we hear about most is the one which debates and makes new laws in the bloc, the European Parliament.
The Parliament is made up of representatives from all member countries, and the number from each each country varies according to the nation's size.
For example, Germany has 96 representatives, whereas Luxembourg has only six.
Our first expert witness is Pavel Zirka, senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
He joins us from Paris.
The European Parliament is important in terms of legislation.
It's the main legislative body in the European Union.
It's an important place where European policies are being shaped, approved and where they originate.
And in that sense, the elections to the European Parliament, which happen every five years, are important because the outcome of those elections is decisive for what could be expected from the European Parliament in the years to come.