A meeting of eurozone finance ministers scheduled for 13 September in Budapest may be cancelled, following a decision by Irish Public Expenditure Minister, Paschal Donohoe, who is set to lead the session.
Budapest meeting of eurozone finance ministers at risk
Politico reports that the upcoming Eurogroup meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Budapest on 13 September is at risk of cancellation due to growing discontent over Hungary‘s close ties with Russia. Paschal Donohoe, the Irish Public Expenditure Minister and head of the gathering, will decide by next week whether to proceed, as some ministers, including those from Germany, Estonia, Finland, and Lithuania, have signalled their intention to boycott. The European Commission has also withdrawn its participation from meetings during Hungary’s EU presidency. The decision on whether to cancel the meeting may depend on discussions at upcoming talks in Brussels.
Hungarian Ministry of Finance reacts
However, Telex notes that despite these concerns, the meeting of eurozone finance ministers remains officially on the agenda, as confirmed by a Eurogroup spokesperson. When contacted by ATV, the Ministry of Finance did not comment on this particular meeting, instead referencing a different upcoming EU finance ministers’ meeting. The Ministry stated:
The Ministry of Finance is currently working on preparations for the September meeting in Budapest. In addition to the central bank governors, the two-day high-level meeting will be attended by the Managing Directors of the IMF, the Presidents of the EBRD and the EIB, and the Secretary General of the OECD, among others.
The Hungarian Finance Minister added:
In recent years, Europe has fallen significantly behind its competitors, and the Hungarian Presidency aims to restore the EU’s competitiveness. The Hungarian position is that there is no room for ideological and political debates in this work; we must work together on the challenges facing the EU.
Photo: FB/Mihály Varga
Not the first boycott and probably not the last
The potential boycott of the Budapest meeting of eurozone finance ministers is not the first instance of EU member states boycotting meetings in Budapest during Hungary’s EU presidency. Germany, Sweden, Finland, Poland, and the Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—have all announced plans to skip informal meetings during Hungary’s six-month presidency. In July, several EU finance ministers publicly criticised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin rather than prioritising aid to Ukraine. Orbán’s recent visits to Russia and China, without prior coordination with EU leaders, have further unsettled member states and left EU politicians fuming.
