FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl will receive Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in Vienna on Sunday. Orbán fueled rumors in advance about the reason for the meeting.
Kickl, Orbán and Babis plan to make a statement on Sunday morning in a hotel in Vienna together with the FPÖ delegation leader in the EU Parliament, Harald Vilimsky.
Formation of a right-wing EU group?
In a guest article for the Hungarian newspaper “Magyar Nemzet,” Orbán argued that European right-wing parties “form strong factions in the European Parliament.” “On Sunday, two crucial events will happen: beware of Paris and beware of Vienna,” Orbán wrote.
“Forward, team!”
Italian news agency ANSA initially interpreted this as referring to Kickl’s ORF appearance. “Yesterday, the US also took a big step towards change,” Orban added, referring to President Joe Biden’s failed TV appearance in a duel with his challenger Donald Trump. “If all goes according to plan, God willing, by the end of the year the patriots will be in the majority in the entire Western world. Forward, team!”
Fidesz and ANO won the EU elections
Orbán’s right-wing nationalist Fidesz party, which has governed with a two-thirds majority since 2010, currently does not belong to any group in the EU Parliament. It left the European People’s Party (EPP) in 2021 after years of conflict. Babiš’s liberal protest movement ANO, for its part, only recently left the EU liberals. “We left both the Renew Europe group and the ALDE (party) because we are not interested in positions,” Babiš said on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. Both Fidesz and ANO won European elections in their countries.
The FPÖ and France’s Rassemblement National (RN), which has a good chance of winning Sunday’s parliamentary elections, are among the leading forces in the “Identity and Democracy” (ID) group in the EU Parliament. The eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which is seen as more moderate, also emerged significantly stronger in the European elections, thanks in part to the electoral success of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and is now the third strongest force in the European Parliament.
Ice age between Meloni and Orbán
Meloni recently gave Orbán the cold shoulder. Fidesz’s pro-Russian policy is not appreciated in the EKR, which also includes the right-wing nationalist Polish opposition party PiS (Law and Justice). The newly elected EU Parliament will meet for its constituent session on July 16.
Orbán’s government takes over EU presidency
Orbán’s government will take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months on Monday. The country, which is facing legal proceedings for violations of the rule of law, is basing its presidency on the motto ‘Make Europe Great Again’, a reference to Trump’s successful 2016 campaign slogan (‘Make America Great Again’).
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
