Britain’s departure from the European Union (EU) with the Brexit referendum in 2016 and the strained relations with the bloc led London to seek new partners in Europe. In this context, it can be said that Hungary is one of the most suitable partners for England in the current conjuncture. As a matter of fact, the Budapest administration made statements supporting London during the Brexit process. In this direction, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban described then Prime Minister of Britain Boris Johnson as one of the bravest politicians in Europe on January 9, 2020. He also pointed out that after London left the bloc, the EU should aim for strong strategic relations with the United Kingdom (UK).[1]
In addition, Orban was one of the first EU leaders to visit the UK on 28 May 2021, that is, in the post-Brexit period, and Johnson also stated that rapprochement with Hungary is important for the welfare and security of the UK.[2]
The fact that both the UK and Hungary are ruled by conservative governments encourages the two countries to increase their cooperation. Moreover, both countries come to the fore with their harsh attitudes towards irregular migration to Europe. Again, as the statement by London suggests, the relations between the parties also have a security dimension. The situation can be interpreted as the relations between Budapest and London being built on solid foundations.
Although Hungary is a member of the EU, it is excluded by the other countries of the bloc due to the policies it follows. In addition, due to Budapest’s policies, it is seen that Brussels is experiencing tests on sanctions against Moscow. Therefore, due to Hungary’s attitude, the EU’s decision-making mechanism does not work as Brussels wishes.
As it can be understood, the fact that both the UK and Hungary have problematic relations with the EU is another factor that leads the parties to cooperate. In this context, it is seen that the partnership between the two countries has been shaped through anti-Brussels in recent years. It can be argued that the rapprochement between Budapest and London continued after Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister of the UK. In this respect, the visit of Foreign Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto to the UK on 28 November 2022 can be interpreted as an important development.
During his visit, Szijjarto had a meeting with his British counterpart, James Cleverly. The Foreign Minister of Hungary pointed out that the decision-makers in Brussels generally reacted to the British proposals reflexively and that some of the EU’s decisions made cooperation between Brussels and London difficult. He also stated that good relations are important in the current conjuncture.[3] In this context, the fact that Szijjarto made statements criticizing the EU in the UK cannot be considered a surprising development. Because there are some disagreements in the relations of both London and Budapest with Brussels. This brings London and Budapest even closer in cooperation.
In addition to the statements, Szijjarto stated that in the current conditions, where the EU economy is severely damaged in terms of competitiveness, cooperation with the UK can help the EU become stronger and more competitive. Moreover, the Minister of Hungary emphasized that they share similar views on the fight against irregular migration, which affects Budapest and London equally.[4]
It is understood that Hungary is trying to play a mediating role in the development of relations between the EU and the UK. Because the Budapest administration is trying to both reduce the pressure and develop new relations by drawing attention to London. In addition, the two countries have a common approach to immigration, and they see this as a security problem from various perspectives. Therefore, it can be said that the parties continue to cooperate on this issue.
In addition, Hungary has been experiencing significant difficulties in EU funds lately. Brussels’ obstacles to Budapest’s use of financial funds led to tense relations between the parties. Moreover, Hungary’s opposition to the EU’s support package of 18 billion euros for Ukraine for 2023 is another factor that causes the tension between Budapest and Brussels to rise.[5]
On the other hand, one of the prominent agenda items during the Foreign Minister of Hungary’s visit to London was the economy. Szijjarto met with leaders of major British companies investing in Hungary in London. The Minister emphasized that British companies are the sixth largest group investing in Hungary and that there are around 800 British companies in the country employing 50,000 people.[6]
On the other hand, there have been problems in the Hungarian economy in recent years. Therefore, the fact that London is one of the prominent financial centres can enable Hungary to attract investments from this country. This is a situation that will accelerate the relations between the two countries. Therefore, it can be stated that economic investments have an important place in Hungary-England relations and will intensify even more.
As a result, both London and Budapest have had tense relations with Brussels in recent years, encouraging the two countries to cooperate. Therefore, there is a partnership shaped by anti-Brussels. In addition to these, cooperation in the field of irregular migration and economy also contributes to the development of relations between parties. This will cause the crackling voices voiced against the EU for a long time to increase and the discussions about the ineffectiveness of the union to intensify. In short, Hungary will try to overcome its loneliness on the continent at some point through England, while London will try to continue to influence the EU through Budapest.
[1] “Boris Johnson ‘One of Europe’s Bravest Politicians’: Hungarian PM Orban”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hungary-orban-brexit-idUSKBN1Z81JQ, (Date of Accession: 05.12.2022).
[2] Jon Stone, “Boris Johnson Defends ‘Rolling out the Red Carpet’ for Right-Wing Hungarian Autocrat Viktor Orbán”, The Independent, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-viktor-orban-b1855137.html, (Date of Accession: 05.12.2022).
[3] “Hungarian Foreign Minister Criticises the EU in London”, Daily News Hungary, https://dailynewshungary.com/hungarian-foreign-minister-criticises-the-eu-in-london/, (Date of Accession: 05.12.2022).
[4] Ibid.
[5] Cemal Ege Özkan, “AB’nin Ukrayna’ya Yönelik Yardım Paketi ve Macaristan’ın Tutumu”, ANKASAM, https://www.ankasam.org/abnin-ukraynaya-yonelik-yardim-paketi-ve-macaristanin-tutumu/, (Date of Accession: 05.12.2022).
[6] “FM: Brussels Decisions Hindering EU-UK Cooperation”, About Hungary, https://abouthungary.hu/news-in-brief/fm-brussels-decisions-hindering-eu-uk-cooperation, (Date of Accession: 05.12.2022).
