<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares received his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, in Madrid on Friday, with whom he discussed “the European and bilateral agenda,” according to the Ministry. The meeting coincided with repeated disagreements between the EU and Budapest over violations of the rule of law and in relation to its stance towards Ukraine and with Albares' own undisguised criticism of Viktor Orbán's government for its attempt to block the extension of sanctions against Russia.</strong></h4> “I met with my Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, in Madrid. We discussed our bilateral relations, EU matters, and Euro-Atlantic security,” Albares said on social media. According to the Ministry's press release, Albares discussed with Szijjártó "the European agenda" and, in the bilateral sphere, trade exchanges and the evolution of the cultural cooperation programmes signed between the two countries. He also made "a broad review of the main international issues, and he did so with his European partner, which is also a member of the Atlantic Alliance, where they share common challenges." The meeting between the two ministers also allowed "the main issues of the community to be focused on, with special reference to the enlargement of the European Union, competitiveness and industry, the Southern Neighbourhood, the EU-Mercosur Agreement or the official status in the EU of the Spanish co-official languages," he added. The press release recalls that there are almost 11,000 Hungarians living in Spain, compared to the 940 Spaniards living in Hungary, and that in the European country there is "a growing interest in the Spanish language." Sources close to the meeting consulted by <em>The Diplomat</em> did not give further details about the meeting, which takes place one month after the end of a Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council marked by major controversies and tensions around, above all, respect for the rule of law and democratic governance. The European Parliament has repeatedly denounced Viktor Orbán's policies against judicial independence, press freedom and minority rights and Hungary has lost access to 200 million euros in EU funds because of its migration and asylum policy. In addition, Orbán has sown discord with his policies towards Russia and the invasion of Ukraine, with such significant episodes as the issuance of “national cards” for Russian and Belarusian citizens that allow them to work and reside in Hungary – which contradicts European sanctions –, his trip to Russia without the support of the European Union and in the middle of the Hungarian Presidency (after which Albares himself declared that Orbán’s international initiatives “do not represent Europe”), his attempt to block 50 billion euros of aid to Ukraine for the next three years or his constant threats to veto sanctions against Moscow. The latest episode occurred last year during the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) on January 27, in which Hungary’s attempt to block the extension of sanctions against Russia for another six months had to be overcome, an attitude described as “unacceptable” by Albares himself. As if that were not enough, Orbán recently declared that the executive orders signed by the newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump “will transform not only the United States, but the entire world,” adding via social network X that “the rebellion against progressive liberal democracy has entered a new stage. The time has come for patriotic forces to occupy Brussels!” Last October, the prime minister indirectly criticised (during a press conference in the European Parliament) the Spanish rules on party financing to justify the granting of a nine million euro loan to his Spanish ally Vox by a Hungarian bank whose largest shareholder is, precisely, the Hungarian state.
