The European Commission is moving ahead with a boycott of Hungary’s EU presidency, amid anger in Brussels over Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s trip to Moscow.

Ursula von der Leyen decided that in the work of European institutions during the six months of the Hungarian presidency the participation will not include as usual commissioners, but will be limited to a technical level, “in the light of recent developments at the start of the Hungarian presidency”, she announced via X Eric Mamer, the representative of the President of the Commission.

The development follows Mr Orban’s visit to Moscow — without any coordination with his European partners — and his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

In addition, the traditional visit of the so-called college of commissioners to the country which holds the rotating presidency of the EU from July 1 until the end of the year “will not take place”, according to the representative of the president of the European Commission Mamer.

This is a heavy insult, albeit on a mostly symbolic level, for Budapest. Officially, this visit, which normally should have taken place already at the beginning of the month, was postponed to September, supposedly for scheduling reasons.

Mr Orban outlined his trips to Kiev to see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Moscow to see Russian President Vladimir Putin, Beijing to see Chinese President Xi Jinping and Mar-a-Lago to see US presidential candidate Donald Trump as a “peace initiative”. Choirs of European leaders, however, strongly criticized this tour, stressing that he was not given any mandate from the EU to conduct negotiations.

The Minister of European Affairs of Hungary, Janos Boka, attributed the Commission’s decision to “political calculations”. “The EU is an international organization established by member states. The European Commission is an institution of the EU. The European Commission cannot choose which institutions and which Member States it likes to cooperate with,” he commented via X.

“Are all the Commission’s decisions now taken on the basis of political calculations?”, he asked rhetorically.

Some countries, notably Lithuania and Sweden, have already declared that they will not be represented at ministerial level in the councils of ministers in Hungary until further notice.

Alberto Alemano, professor of European law at HEC Paris, described the European Commission’s decision as an “unprecedented” development through X.

Fidesz MEP Kiga Gall, of Mr Orban’s party, called Ursula von der Leyen’s decision “clearly” part of her “re-election campaign” and “unacceptable”.

Ursula von der Leyen hopes to secure a second term as president of the European Commission today in Strasbourg, in a vote to be held in the European Parliament.

EU member states are reportedly considering snubbing the foreign affairs council — not sending their foreign ministers — to Budapest in early August.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell could thwart their move to the Hungarian capital by calling an emergency meeting in Brussels, according to diplomatic sources in the Belgian and EU capital.

Diplomats told AFP that the moves are being made as a rebuke to Mr. Orban’s government.

If Mr Borrell convenes such a meeting, “it will take the need to make such a decision out of the hands of ministers. It will not be about them making the political decision not to go to Hungary, but about having to go to Brussels,” explained one of the sources.

Viktor Orbán has criticized sanctions against Russia, Western military aid to Kiev and is proposing a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. His positions are light years away from those of the EU. He has blocked decisions on sanctions and aid to Kiev repeatedly and opposes the prospect of Ukraine joining the EU. Despite the war, Hungary’s right-wing nationalist prime minister has strengthened relations with with the Kremlin, citing in particular Hungarian economic interests, above all in the energy sector.