Orban Adopts 'MEGA' Trump-Like Motto For Hungary's EU Presidency

Hungary, led by the Donald Trump-friendly Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has announced a new motto for when it takes over the European Union's rotating presidency next month: "Make Europe Great Again."

The decision by Budapest to use the motto that emulates Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, has been met with incredulity among EU officials, who see it, as one told RFE/RL, as "jaw-dropping."

"We know them, and we are not stupid, so we see it for what it is: trolling, by lack of any substantive policy," said another diplomatic source from a Western EU nation.

In announcing the slogan, the Hungarian presidency made no mention of Trump or the motto emblazoned on the red hats of almost every one of his supporters, saying it was inspired by the "world-famous Hungarian invention, the Rubik's cube," a puzzle created by Erno Rubik half a century ago.

But Trump and Orban enjoy a close political relationship that both have played up over the years.

In March, the Hungarian politician known for his populist, right-wing views visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago U.S. compound where the former president said there's "no better leader" than Orban.

Countries are allowed to adopt a slogan for their EU presidency -- Hungary officially takes its seat on July 1 -- and they rarely consult with the other 26 EU member states if they do.

One official from the European Parliament admitted to RFE/RL that "everyone was first shocked. We thought it was a joke but then everyone said the same: classic Orban."

"Classic Orban" has come to mean a thorn in the side of Brussels in recent years.

Orban, who has governed Hungary with a parliamentary supermajority since 2010, has angered many leaders in the EU with perceived attacks on democracy and the bloc's founding principles and inclusivity, his opposition to sanctions on Russia and military aid for Ukraine, and his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

His Fidesz party campaigned heavily during European parliamentary elections earlier this month on Hungarians' fears of being drawn into the war in neighboring Ukraine.

Fidesz won 11 of Hungary's 21 European Parliament seats, but that is one fewer than it previously held as Peter Magyar, a former Orban loyalist mounted a more EU-friendly challenge with a new party, Respect and Freedom (Tisza), that took seven seats.

These days the EU presidency is largely symbolic. Since 2009 there is a permanent President of the European Council, currently held by the Belgian Charles Michel, who chairs the important EU summits of leaders.

Officials from the presidency holder are essentially tasked with chairing ministerial meetings and diplomatic working groups in Brussels.

While a country often tries to add a certain "accent" to its presidency by pushing a particular political file, the main task tends to be one of an honest broker, trying to forge compromises between EU member states.

Many diplomats have said they doubt Budapest will be able to impact policy too much since the agenda for the second half of 2024 will be dominated by filling the bloc's tops jobs and getting a new European Commission, the EU's executive body, in place by the end of the year.

One official told RFE/RL that while the Hungarian motto "is of course provocative...luckily, Hungary doesn't have the influence in the EU that Orban thinks and wants."