Fidesz Friendless in the European Parliament

According to sources close to the EPP Group, Orban's surprise proposal this week of a looser cooperation between Fidesz and the largest and oldest group in the European Parliament is an attempt to cut the Gordian knot and, at the same time, distract attention from the latest scandal to hit Fidesz in the European Parliament, following that of a gay orgy attended by a founder of Fidesz, which was broken up by Belgian police last week.

Orban, who used to be vice-chairman of the EPP - the political family of Europe's centre-right parties - wrote a surprising letter to the chairman of the EPP Group, Manfred Weber, in which he acknowledged that "emotional reactions have taken over reasonable dialogue between Fidesz and the EPP Group" concerning Fidesz's head of delegation to the European Parliament, Tamas Deutsch.

In a recent interview, Deutsch compared Weber to the Gestapo and the Hungarian communist secret police, prompting an outcry among EPP Group party members. Some 30 MEPs subsequently demanded the exclusion of Deutsch from the parliamentary group.

That vote was due to take place on December 9, but has been delayed by Weber in order to avoid any further political escalations ahead of the European Council's meeting on December 10-11. Tensions before that crucial summit of EU leaders are running high, as Hungary and Poland are threatening to maintain their veto on the bloc's next budget and the 750-billion-euro recovery fund over their objection to a new mechanism which would make EU funds conditional on upholding the rule of law and fundamental rights.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a press conference after her video conference with German State Premiers about Coronavirus measures, in Berlin, Germany, 02 December 2020. EPA-EFE...