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La vittoria schiacciante di Péter Magyar in Ungheria: qual è l'impatto su Bruxelles?
In questa nuova edizione di The Ring, trasmessa dal Parlamento europeo a Bruxelles, gli eurodeputati Daniel Freund (Verdi) e Sander Smit (ECR) discutono i risultati delle elezioni ungheresi e il loro significato per l'Europa.
ALTRE INFORMAZIONI : http://it.euronews.com/2026/04/16/la-vittoria-schiacciante-di-peter-magyar-in-ungheria-qual-e-limpatto-su-bruxelles
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In questa nuova edizione di The Ring, trasmessa dal Parlamento europeo a Bruxelles, gli eurodeputati Daniel Freund (Verdi) e Sander Smit (ECR) discutono i risultati delle elezioni ungheresi e il loro significato per l'Europa.
ALTRE INFORMAZIONI : http://it.euronews.com/2026/04/16/la-vittoria-schiacciante-di-peter-magyar-in-ungheria-qual-e-limpatto-su-bruxelles
Abbonati, euronews è disponibile in 12 lingue.
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NovitàTrascrizione
00:08Hello and welcome to The Ring, Euronews' weekly debate show broadcasting from the European
00:14Parliament here in Brussels. I'm Stefan Groben. On The Ring, elected members of the European
00:20Parliament go face-to-face on some of the biggest issues facing the EU. Today we're
00:26going to talk about the outcome of the Hungarian election and what it means for Europe. Luis
00:32Albertos has more. Peter Magyar's landslide victory in Hungary's parliamentary elections
00:38on Sunday has sparked renewed optimism in Brussels. After years of Viktor Orbán's controversial
00:45rule, the change in government has raised hopes that previously stalled EU support for Ukraine
00:50may finally be unblocked. While the European Union faces increasing global challenges from
00:56Ukraine to the Middle East, its foreign policy responses often appear slow and fragmented,
01:02raising doubts about whether its current structure remains fit for purpose. A central point of
01:08debate lies in the EU's decision-making, particularly the requirement for unanimity. Nevertheless,
01:15resistance from some countries to reform these rules shows how fragmented the bloc is. What
01:20does Orbán's defeat mean for the future of the EU? Beyond potential improvement in relations
01:25with Hungary, the Union still faces a broader question. Does it need radical reform to avoid
01:30being sidelined on the global stage? A lot to unpack here for our contenders and here they are.
01:40Daniel Freund, a German MEP from the Greens European Free Alliance Group. He serves on the Committee on
01:46Budgetary Control and Constitutional Affairs and is a vocal advocate for stronger EU institutions and
01:52and stricter oversight of EU funds. A fierce defender of a federal Europe, he said,
01:57the unanimity principle is a security risk for Europe. More democracy, more European security and less
02:04blackmailing by autocrats. Orbán is history, the end of the corrupt dictator.
02:09Sander Smit, a Dutch MEP from the European Conservatives and Reformists Group. He serves on the Committee on
02:15Constitutional Affairs. Regarding the result of the elections in Hungary, he said, we must respect that
02:21the new Hungarian government has received a strong mandate from its citizens with a conservative agenda
02:26of national sovereignty, anti-Green Deal and anti-immigration positions. Sustainable EU decision-making
02:33cannot rely on bypassing national democracy. So let me welcome to the ring Daniel Freund and Sander Smit.
02:41Great to have you here. Good to see you both. Now, the aim of the ring is to offer our
02:47viewers a glimpse at
02:48European Parliament debates so you should feel right at home. Are you ready? Yes. We're ready.
02:54All right. So let's kick it off with the stunner of the week, the election in Hungary. Sander, was there
03:01anything
03:01surprising in the outcome? Not very surprising. We're satisfied. I think the Hungarian people has clearly spoken,
03:06has taken a stance about their future, what they want in the new leadership. And they clearly wanted a new
03:13leader
03:14after 16 years of Viktor Orban. Well, Daniel, that's certainly true. But the numbers were really, really stunning.
03:20Did you have that on your radar? I mean, there had been polls, but that there is such a clear
03:25two-thirds majority.
03:26And I think the surprising thing in the end was how quickly and clearly Viktor Orban conceded,
03:33because there was some fear that he was not just going to go. But now it looks like...
03:38But the numbers were just too strong, right? Exactly. But still, this is impressive. I was
03:44there in Budapest on the ground and seeing just random people high-fiving, cheering, chanting in the
03:49streets, celebrating the end of the mafia state. I think this was a big moment for Europe.
03:54And of the mafia state, do you agree? I think that we shouldn't polarize too much. We can still see
03:58that democracy and democratic values within the Hungarian people, society and even state institutions
04:05survived, were upheld. Orban clearly conceded his loss. And I think we shouldn't now overdo all the speculation
04:13beforehand. I was a bit worried by certain left-wing politicians polarizing before the elections. I think
04:21that could have harmed the outcome of Tisha's electoral result in the end. But the Hungarian
04:25people were, I think, independent enough and sovereign enough to decide on their own for their own state.
04:32One more on Viktor Orban before we move on. Over the last past years, he has become the boogeyman in
04:37the European Union. But he wasn't all that bad. I mean, in 90 percent of the cases, he always voted
04:43with
04:43the European Council. So are we now going back to business? Well, it's a bit saying 90 percent he
04:49voted with the others. Yeah, whenever his vote didn't matter. But where it did matter on the
04:55unanimous decisions. I mean, I asked the parliament research service before the elections to give me the
05:00numbers. And Orban has vetoed more than pretty much everyone else combined. Every single unanimous decision
05:06we have taken in the last years. First, we get a veto from Viktor Orban. And he demands concessions.
05:12He blackmails the Union. So I think we have never seen anything like him in the history of the European
05:18Union. Right. Sander, do you agree? I mean, after all, pronouncing a veto, that's his right. Yeah, that's
05:23right. A small member states. I think in the last years, I can agree with Mr. Freund that there was
05:29an
05:30abuse, especially also for the interest of foreign actors, foreign states, third countries. I think that was
05:35worrying. But in the end, we need this veto to defend the rights of smaller countries as a principle.
05:41In the case of Hungary, I think I worked alongside Fidesz during many years when I was a parliamentary
05:47advisor here in the institutions. And back then, they were really aligning always with the Juncker
05:53commission with the first in the first year with the von der Leyen commission. So I don't think they're
05:58the ones always blocking EU policy. Not always blocking. He did block everything on Ukraine,
06:07basically. Is this today? Is this the beginning of a new dawn? A spring coming to Brussels? What's going to
06:15be the vibe here in this town? I mean, the veto in chief is now gone. So I hope clearly
06:21that now there is a
06:23real willingness to act. But I also hope that member states understand that we cannot let this happen
06:30ever again. We should not allow a second Orbán to now emerge, either because he comes back one day or
06:36someone else follows in his footsteps. I mean, that a single guy can basically block an entire union, can risk
06:43our security and uses the veto not to defend his or the Hungarian interest, but to just basically blackmail and
06:51extort
06:51from us. This is something that we should not let happen ever again. So we need reform. We need reform.
06:57No, I think we would need to keep the unanimity principle as such the treaties and shrine this principle,
07:03not because it's an idea of some Brussels bureaucrat. It was really well thought out because smaller member
07:13states need to be defended against larger member states through a qualified majority voting overruling their national
07:20interests. I get myself hailing from a small member state. The Netherlands know very well what this could
07:26mean. Small but powerful. Small but powerful. But nevertheless, I think we need to defend the smaller member states national
07:32national sovereignty as well. How confident are you? To be really clear, Peter Madja was elected on a national
07:38sovereignty electoral program. And I think it's a bit weird if we act now. That's a good point. As if
07:44nothing of
07:45That's a good point. How confident are you that Peter Madja will actually, you know, change the dynamics and not
07:53throw in the veto?
07:55I mean, already has changed the dynamics, right? If you look at the relationship that Peter Maguire has with people
08:00like Donald Tusk,
08:01with Emmanuel Macron now, they talk, they call each other on the phone. We haven't seen that with Viktor Orban
08:07in months and months.
08:08So already there is a different relationship. And I think he has been very clear that he wants a constructive
08:15relationship with the European Union.
08:17I think it's clear that the veto on the 90 billion for Ukraine will will go away and we will
08:22be able to help Ukraine also financially now.
08:24And I think, I mean, having been there in Budapest on the ground on Sunday, when he said things like
08:30that, he is going to have this
08:32contractual relationship that he wants to join the European public prosecutor jointly work against corruption.
08:37There were cheers from tens of thousands of people screaming Europe, Europe.
08:41So I think this is very different than what we have seen in the last 16 years from Viktor Orban.
08:47Of course, what Mr. Freund is speaking about is very important, but that was what I was pleading in favor
08:53of.
08:53We need coordinated unity, not forced unity, not a forced unity forced upon smaller member states.
08:59We need coordination, speaking with other heads of government. And that's what Peter Maguire is doing now.
09:05That's very positive. But that doesn't mean we need to get rid of the unanimity principle.
09:09And I really doubt that Peter Maguire would agree with Mr. Freund to get rid of the unanimity principle, because
09:16he was elected as a national sovereignty.
09:19And we have a Hungarian parliament now. So that's I was a bit surprised to see left wing and liberal
09:24politicians cheering for a new Europe,
09:26Hungarian parliament entirely composed out of right wing, center right, national conservative, nationalist and ultra nationalist parties.
09:35There's no social Democrat, green or liberal party left. So I think this conservative mandate given by the Hungarian voters
09:43is very clear and should also be respected in the European Union.
09:46And we have to work together to coordinate with Peter Maguire. And I'm very happy that he will unblock the
09:5190 billion euro for Ukraine.
09:54But we shouldn't do as if he is now like a vote or a green MEP pleading in favor of
10:00a federal federation.
10:01Your thoughts on this, Daniel? Well, I mean, having spoken with actually lots of Hungarians on on the ground, I
10:08this is not a conservative vote.
10:10I mean, most people in this election voted for Europe, voted for democracy, voted for the rule of law and
10:16voted to kick Viktor Orban out.
10:19This is what motivated most of the of those people that now voted actually for Peter Maguire.
10:24And the big question now for him is basically if he is going to represent that voter base or not,
10:31because many people actually voted in this election with the hope that they will be able to cast their vote
10:37that they really want to cast in four years time.
10:40Once democracy has been restored, once there is independent media, once there is rule of law in the in the
10:46country.
10:46This was not about a conservative agenda. This was about getting rid of all right. All right.
10:50Let me stop you there as we are just getting warmed up here, as you have noticed.
10:59Now it's time for our viewers to get a real flavor of the European Parliament chamber where members ask each
11:06other questions and sometimes it can get heated.
11:09That means it's time for you both to challenge each other directly, just as you do in the image cycle
11:16behind us.
11:17So let's get started. And Sander, the floor is yours.
11:21Yes, Mr. Freund, you're really pleading in favor of getting rid of unanimity.
11:26What would you do in the future situation with the Greens in Germany being a coalition party in the coalition
11:33in Germany in Berlin, having this coalition force a European Council decision upon them to, for instance, go to war,
11:42like in the past on Iraq or Iran?
11:46How would your party in that case react? Would you agree with such a stance being imposed on the German
11:53government to go to war by an EU decision?
11:57Well, I mean, I'm a Democrat. I'm being outvoted here in the European Parliament on an almost daily basis.
12:03That's how it goes. This is democracy. I'm not pleading for a veto here in the European Parliament.
12:09Imagine if among us 720 members of the European Parliament, we would have to strike consensus, we would have to
12:17reach unanimity on every decision.
12:19This House would be completely dysfunctional. And it's a little bit similar among 27 in the Council.
12:25So, yeah, I would accept decisions that go against my beliefs. I can fight for them.
12:30But at the end, we vote and I accept that if we vote by majority, I can lose.
12:35All right. Are you happy with that?
12:37No, that basically means abolishing the national sovereignty of the German Bundestag over its foreign policy and military policy.
12:44That's a different question. And I want Daniel to ask, Alexander.
12:48Well, my question is basically, I mean, you have said that, you know, the veto needs to remain.
12:53But if you look, for example, on the process of accession of a new member state, and I could even
12:59say, you know, taking a unanimous vote at the end, maybe we keep that for now.
13:04But do we need 150 unanimous votes in the process where every single question needs to be opened by unanimity,
13:13needs to be closed by unanimity?
13:15I mean, isn't 150 vetoes or unanimous decision on a decision like that a bit exaggerated?
13:21Can't we bring that down to maybe one in the end?
13:25The current treaty already has a passerelle clause to deal with such certain issues.
13:31I think we can find solutions there without doing away with national sovereignty and unanimity principle.
13:38And I will repeat myself, but Peter Madja in Hungary yesterday said that he's opposed to a quick accession of
13:45instance for Ukraine.
13:46So he wants to say about every step in the process, opening of every chapter.
13:51So I don't think most smaller member states would agree to your approach there.
13:57Follow up, Daniel?
13:59Well, I think at the end we have to decide whether we want a European Union that is still able
14:04to act in a world, you know, with Trump, with Xi, with Putin,
14:09whether we're just the playing ball for the big guys, or whether we get a seat at the table and
14:15a voice that is actually heard.
14:16You speak a lot about sovereignty and, you know, our capacity to act.
14:20And I actually think we only have that if we're able to speak with one voice.
14:25And if we have the capacity to act, not one single European blocking us from that.
14:30How do you respond to that?
14:31I think we need to speak with one voice, but not through forced unity, but through coordinated unity.
14:37The European Union was able to act after the Russian criminal invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
14:44The EU acted upon that, provided support.
14:47So we shouldn't do as if the European Union was helpless with the unanimity principle.
14:53This is false.
14:54I think in the future we can even, your stance could even undermine support for the European Union and membership
15:00by bringing in this bomb of qualified majority voting, alienating smaller member states and creating more resentment among politicians,
15:11maybe even among Peter Magyar in Hungary, but also in my own member state in the Netherlands.
15:15If you impose qualified majority voting, having France and your own member state Germany with a few others imposing their
15:22foreign policy
15:23or a military policy will upon my voters in the regions, because you spoke about Budapest,
15:30I think that the population of capitals doesn't reflect the general population in EU member states or their stances.
15:36and I think the large majority of voters in the countryside and in regions want to uphold the unanimity principle
15:43to make sure that every voter in every region and every member state is heard.
15:48And these voters know very well we have to defend ourselves against foreign threats by third states and third countries.
15:54Sander, I gave you the last question.
15:56Yes.
15:58Mr. Freund, are you not worried?
16:00I already said it before, but aren't you worried that abolishing the unanimity principle will create resentment
16:07and alienate a lot of Europeans in these smaller member states having other stances than maybe majorities in larger member
16:15states,
16:15for instance the Hungarian population, but also in the Netherlands or in Latvia, if we go towards qualified majority voting?
16:22Well, I mean, you mentioned Latvia, and I think the Baltic states are an interesting example.
16:26You know, they came out of Soviet rule, joined the European Union, and I think for a long time for
16:32them,
16:33the veto was in a way the guarantee, you know, that something like in the Soviet Union doesn't happen again.
16:38But the problem being that since the full-scale invasion in Ukraine,
16:43the Baltic states are realizing that if you have someone like Viktor Orban in the EU that wields the veto,
16:49if all of a sudden you have unmarked Russian soldiers coming over the border into Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
16:55well, then Orban becomes a security threat, because he can block any kind of reaction.
17:01We don't even have an opinion on war crimes committed in Ukraine if Orban puts his veto in this,
17:07because we can't have a foreign policy decision.
17:09You're still reasoning in all terms, because Orban now is out of force.
17:14I mean, there will be others.
17:16You see how entrenched this thought was.
17:18But the problem is then, you know, that veto that can be, in a way, the protector of sovereignty
17:23can also become the supreme security threat.
17:27And that is the situation why I think we should get rid of it.
17:30All right. We have heard the views from our guests.
17:33Now it's time to bring in a new voice.
17:39I'd like to bring in European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen now.
17:42In a press conference this week, she commented on the outcome of the Hungarian election
17:47and gave a hint of what could come next in Brussels.
17:51Here's what she said. Take a listen.
17:53We should also look at the lessons learned inside the European Union.
17:58For example, I think moving to qualified majority voting in foreign policy
18:05is an important way to avoid systemical blockages, as we've seen in the past.
18:12And we should use the momentum now, really, to move forward on that topic.
18:16Sander, your thoughts on this?
18:18I think this is an example of a prepared, politically prepared,
18:23bureaucratically prepared, badly timed power grab by the European Commission,
18:28which has a lot to do about its own transparency and legitimacy among European voters in this era.
18:34I think that's what they should work on and not work towards abolishing national sovereignty
18:39on foreign policy, on military interventions, because, as was said, military operation.
18:46We have NATO and the EU, and we have seen that national democratic change is possible in Hungary,
18:52that the democratic will of Hungarian voters corrected the problems we had in the European Council
18:57on support for Ukraine last support bill.
19:01Did I hear that right? Power grab of the European Commission?
19:04I think it's quite the opposite.
19:06And you speak about the democratic will of the people.
19:09You know, if you look at an issue like whether large corporations should pay their fair share of taxes,
19:14you have an overwhelming majority of Europeans in every single member state that want that.
19:19But we cannot get there because a single member state, maybe one that has a very favorable tax regime for
19:26large corporations
19:27and helps to evade billions of taxes being paid, can put their veto on these kind of minimum taxation levels,
19:35for example.
19:35So this is another example where the veto is basically going against democracy,
19:41is going against the will of the vast majority of Europeans.
19:45All right. We'll come back to this.
19:47Let's take a break here on The Ring.
19:50We'll be back with more after this.
20:00Welcome back to The Ring, Euronews' weekly debate show.
20:04I'm Stefan Grobe and I'm joined by Daniel Freund from the Greens and Sander Smit from the European Conservatives and
20:10Reformists.
20:11The idea here is to bring the European Parliament's debates to your living room.
20:16This week we're focusing on a key question in this building.
20:19Is the EU in need of wide-ranging reforms or not?
20:24One issue is the role of the EU High Representative, Kaya Callas.
20:28She heads the European External Action Service with its 140-plus EU delegations worldwide
20:35and employs more than 4,000 staff.
20:38But Callas, like all her predecessors, has no direct control over national armies.
20:44There's also no single centralized EU foreign policy budget.
20:47Funding is split across institutions and member states.
20:51And Callas and her service must rely on a consensus of the 27 member states for foreign policy decisions.
20:59Is this efficient at all?
21:02No, it's not.
21:03I mean, why do we pay 28 different embassies in cities like Beijing or Washington?
21:11I mean, let's at least start with the councillor service.
21:14If a European needs a new passport, needs a birth certificate, something,
21:18why do we need 28 different administrations that they can turn to?
21:22Isn't one enough?
21:23That would be much cheaper for European taxpayers.
21:26Sander, your thoughts?
21:27Well, there's a matter maybe of inefficiency in diplomacy,
21:31but militarily we already have Article 5 of NATO, Article 42 in the EU,
21:36and we should not, as an EU, start to double NATO infrastructure.
21:40We need to build on the European pillar, I think, jointly,
21:43but that's on a military capacity basis, not on the command structure.
21:48And I really, really would warn the European Union against assuming a role of commanding an EU army.
21:56That would be very dangerous and create a lot of resentment.
22:00But foreign policy, I mean, we're hearing every now and then that the commission president
22:04is sort of undermining the high representative by taking too much out of the foreign policy portfolio
22:11in her own hands.
22:12Why are we having a higher representative at all then?
22:15I mean, it is a bit of a strange animal because we didn't, when we last made these treaties,
22:20we didn't fully commit to have an EU foreign minister.
22:23The governments wanted more control, so she is half in the commission, half in the council,
22:28and that is precisely what creates this awkward position.
22:32But if you say, you know, this is about sovereignty, look at the sovereignty of a place like Greenland.
22:39Greenland doesn't have sovereignty facing Donald Trump and the American administration.
22:45They had sovereignty when Europe was together and said, if you touch Greenland,
22:50you're going to, you know, have the joint EU against you.
22:54That's when we protected the sovereignty of Greenland.
22:57Not every small country for itself.
22:59Places like Luxembourg, like Estonia, even a place like Germany doesn't have sovereignty
23:05in the face of China, Russia or the US.
23:07Only together are we strong enough.
23:09But the case of Greenland perfectly shows that we're not a big player globally.
23:14And he mentioned that earlier.
23:15I think the agreement case perfectly shows that if it's necessary, like the Ukraine war,
23:21at the start of the Ukraine war, the EU is willing and able to act with the current treaties jointly.
23:26We saw that on Greenland.
23:27We saw it on Ukraine, on the invasion by Russia.
23:30But if we look at Iran and the stances, the different stances of EU member states,
23:35Sanchez, Pedro Sanchez, maybe also Italy, but also France, Germany and other member states
23:40on the Israeli-American intervention against Iran, it's entirely divergent.
23:46And we saw this divergence also in the EU institutions.
23:49So it's doomed to fail to have a forced unity of foreign policy.
23:54In this way, we need coordination.
23:55And Greenland and the Ukraine cases show that the EU is already able,
24:00within the current treaties, to act if it's necessary.
24:04Because the EU, rightly so, defended Greenland.
24:06I led a delegation of the Fisheries Committee last September to Greenland
24:10to also strengthen our ties with the fisheries sector there.
24:14We have a huge fisheries agreement there.
24:15And I really can only commend these cases as an example for the future.
24:21So it's versus speaking with one voice versus a forced unity.
24:27I don't know where this forced unity comes from.
24:30The question is just if people like the two of us, members of the European Parliament,
24:34actually have any kind of say on these questions.
24:37Because in the current setup, it's left to the 27 governments.
24:41We here adopt resolutions, but quite honestly, who cares?
24:44But the question is, if the European Parliament, the directly elected representatives
24:49from all those citizens in Europe that send us here to the European Parliament,
24:53whether this Parliament has a role in the foreign policy decisions,
24:57in the diplomatic relations.
24:59We got a say on trade.
25:00So some elements are there, but others are not.
25:03And it makes more sense if you have all the tools in your hand.
25:06Von der Leyen can threaten on boycotts and sanctions, but she doesn't have the other tools that Putin
25:14or Trump or Xi have in their hands, and that makes her weaker.
25:17Well, now it's time to move on to our fifth and final round, where we continue our conversation.
25:26Now it's time for something different.
25:28I'm going to ask you a set of questions, and you can answer only with a yes or no.
25:34Okay?
25:35So let's start with a simple one.
25:37Is Orbán's defeat a turning point for the EU, Sander?
25:40I think very much so, in the sense that we can now provide the Ukraine with a yes.
25:45Yes, yes.
25:46Yes, good.
25:48Will Magia be an undisputed ally of Brussels?
25:51No.
25:52No?
25:52No.
25:53No.
25:54You guys agree on something here.
25:56Is unanimity making the EU weak on the world stage?
26:01Yes.
26:02Absolutely not.
26:03Would removing veto power make the EU more democratic?
26:06Absolutely not.
26:08Yes.
26:10And is the future of the EU federal?
26:12No, it's confederal.
26:14It is.
26:16Is the EU a credible actor on the world stage these days?
26:19Yes.
26:21Halfway, but rather yes.
26:24Okay.
26:25Does Europe need a single foreign policy voice?
26:28No.
26:29Yes.
26:30Is this the moment for radical EU reform?
26:33Yes.
26:35No.
26:36Let's keep it away.
26:38That's a good one.
26:39Are national governments the problem in EU decision making?
26:43When you sit in the parliament, that's how it looks like, yeah?
26:47Absolutely not.
26:48And national governments have the most direct mandate in the European Council.
26:52No.
26:53We're elected on EU election programs.
26:56National governments are national elections, so they have no direct mandate for EU affairs.
27:00Our national elections have the highest turnout of voters, the most direct media attention.
27:05And I think in the principle of subsidiarity enshrined in the treaties, we need to look
27:09upon these national parliaments as the prime expression of the national will.
27:13Fascinating conversation here for a yes or no question.
27:16That final answer brings us to the end of this edition of The Ring.
27:20Thanks again to Daniel Freund and Sander Smit for a lively conversation here from the European
27:25Parliament.
27:26Thanks to our audience at home.
27:27If you like, you can continue the conversation by sending us your comments to thering at
27:33euronews.com.
27:35That's it for today.
27:36I'm Stefan Grobe.
27:37Take care and see you soon here on Euronews.
27:47Euronews.
27:49Thank you.
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