The French President Emmanuel Macron needs a new narrative to neutralize his rivals of extreme right in the race to the presidential elections next April and has begun to exercise it in Budapest, along with Prime Minister, Viktor Orban.
The theme has been migration, a bone that the Galo president seems to be willingly willing to Roer with Hungary and his partners of called Visegrad Group.
“We have had differences in the past about migration and refugee policy but the current situation on the border between Belarus and Poland is of such a nature that it forces us to think about a reorganization to prevent migratory flows and how to better reinforce our borders”
, he has affirmed Macron Monday at a press conference with Orban.
The plural used by Macron refers to France, but also to the European Union, whose rotary presidency will assume on January 1.
Paris would like to see progress on this subject, with a reform of the management of Schengen’s free circulation space, but also a European solidarity mechanism, in case of a border crisis.
The context for Macron’s new narrative could not be more propitious.
He’s visit coincides with the Summit of the countries of the so-called Visegrad Group, which Orban currently presides.
All member countries – Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia – are contrary to European migration and asylum policy, such as ‘Hawks’ are also migratory migratory rivals at home, éric Zemmour and Marine Le Pen.
One of the two will be battered with Macron in the second round.
The French President has taken time to visit Orban, whom he has referred frequently as the nationalist and sovereiganist side leader in the EU that is opposed to that of the ‘progressive europhiles’ like him.
When he was elected president, in 2017, Macron promised to visit each European leader.
Orban was the only one who was missing to complete the round, a disinterest to which the Hungarian president has responded by highlighting in the words of welcome him that “Hungary’s relationship towards President Macron is of respect.”
“We accept that we are political adversaries, but also European partners. In three points we will surely coincide: we love our patrians, we want a stronger EU and we believe that the EU needs strategic autonomy,” Orban said.
With something more Irony Orban recalled that “France is the home of the Encyclopedists, they are the best in terms of definitions, so we accept their definitions: what we have listened lately from Mr. President is that they are political opponents and at the same time European partners
“.
The trip of Macron to Budapest was planned to conscience.
What should have been a visit to the ultra-national orban was marred with the participation of him at the Summit of the Visegrad and until there was time for meetings with the opposition.
Before meeting with Orban at the Government Headquarters, Macron went to “meditate” to the tomb of Philosopa Agnes Heller, died in 2019 and figure of the opposition he had received at the Elysee in 2018. After his talks with the Visegraded
, Macron has met at the residence of the French Ambassador with the Mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karacony, and with Peter Marki-Zay., The candidate agreed by the opposition to rival the elections of 2022. Orban, in the
Power since 2010, it is, after the withdrawal of Angela Merkel, the European leader that has been in power.
Macron is a visit with lime and sand messages.
Understanding with the flank of the center and this Europeans before the threat of uncontrolled migratory flows and, at the same time, defense of democratic values and the rule of law, by which both Poland and Hungary maintain contentious with Brussels.
Macron calls this political juggling “search for useful commitments”.
And useful for France and for the European Union, would be in the opinion of Macron commitments on defense, taxation, digital sovereignty, in models of growth, industrial policy and energy.
At this point the plans of France or Hungary converge.
Hungary has just obtained Brussels green light to build two nuclear reactors, while France intends to relaunch its nuclear program and promote this solution as an eligible transition energy for European funds.
Macron has a complicated semester before yes.
It needs to be wink of the European partners, including the Visegrad, for a successful community presidency, but its voters are in France and with the polarization of the more rancid and chauvinist in the polls is still stagnant around 24%.
Prior to the visit of Macron, the Sociologist and Lieutenant of Mayor of District 8 of Budapest, Gabor Eröss, he warned in an open letter to the president against excesses of sympathy and conciliation: · The country he visited is a country governed by the extreme right,
Generalized corruption, the hate and anti-LGBT campaigns, the electoral fraud, the oligarchy of the economy and the massive repression of civil society through loyalty given by Viktor Orban to China and Russia. ”
The French media that have traveled with Macron agree that the Hungarian Prime Minister is really “a problem for the EU and has been for several years for its lack of respect for the democratic values of the block, the separation of powers and its control over
All the state and media apparatus “.
As of this Monday, Orban is for Macron “a political adversary, but a European partner, and whatever our political sensitivities, whatever our options, should work together for our Europe.”
