Hungary and Poland want more say

The prime ministers of Poland and Hungary continue to reject the redistribution of refugees according to a quota system. During Prime Minister Morawiecki's inaugural visit to Budapest the two leaders also demanded more say in EU affairs. How consequential is this partnership?

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Il Sole 24 Ore (IT) /

Warsaw secures support

The Hungarian-Polish alliance is pursuing clear goals, according to Il Sole 24 Ore:

“In Budapest the two prime ministers were completely in agreement with each other on everything from migration policy and the future of EU integration to the vow to fight the EU sanctions against Poland. ... The battle between the EU and the states in the east over the new EU budget will no doubt be even more fierce. Between 2014 and 2020 Poland will receive over 100 billion euros, while Hungary gets 23 billion. But a redistribution of the funds is inevitable owing to the new balance of power in the EU (also as a result of Brexit). Morawiecki knows this all too well and together with Orbán is demanding 'more say in the EU': for the fatherland, religion, the family - and above all to allow Poland's economy to continue to thrive.”

Rzeczpospolita (PL) /

Hungary, an awkward ally

In Rzeczpospolita's view Hungary is not at all an ideal partner for Poland:

“It's worth reflecting on what binds Poland and Hungary. And above all on whether the two countries have shared long-term interests. Regarding security, unfortunately, they have different, and even conflicting interests. The Hungarians have already demonstrated that by refusing to send troops to form part of Nato's Enhanced Forward Presence, which is of fundamental importance to our country. Hungary is also the only country in the region that gives the impression that it is preparing for life without the EU. ... All that shows what a difficult partner Hungary is.”

wPolityce.pl (PL) /

Get Romania on board

Poland's next step should be to secure Romania as a partner so that together they can press ahead with the Three Seas Initiative, Wpolityce advises:

“Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's first visit to Budapest was very successful. However, that was to be expected from the start. The real measure of the effectiveness of Polish diplomacy will be further successes in the region. ... One of the most pressing tasks here is to convince other states in our region that the Three Seas Initiative is not just an idea of two countries in which Hungary and Poland enjoy special privileges, but that it includes and unites countries from Estonia in the north to Croatia in the south according to the principle of equality. The first capital in which the political leadership should hear these words is Bucharest.”