Meeting of Eurozone finance ministers in Budapest could be cancelled due to Orbán's attitude towards Russia

The meeting of the Eurozone finance ministers, planned to be held on 13 September in Budapest, could be cancelled due to a growing indignation of the EU member states regarding the attitude of the Hungarian authorities towards Russia.

According to Politico, Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform of Ireland, who is to lead the meeting, will decide whether it will be held or not by the next week.

One of the officials reported that at the moment intense capital-to-capital contact was taking place to assess how many ministers were considering boycotting irrespective of Donohoe's decision.

The talks between the ministers of finance are usually held once a month but the country presiding in the EU on a rotating basis holds two such meetings per year.

Several ministers have made it clear that they will not participate in the meeting if it is held in Hungary. Specifically, these are German Finance Minister Christian Lindner and his counterparts from Estonia, Finland and Lithuania.

It is planned to hold several ministerial meetings before the Eurogroup.

Specifically, this week’s meeting between the ministers of foreign affairs and defence of the EU was transferred from Brussels to Budapest.

Officials report that Donohoe will likely assess the mood at the Brussels talks before making the decision on whether to cancel the finance ministers’ meeting.

Right after the start of Hungary’s presidency, Orbán went on a number of "peacemaking trips", visiting Moscow; the EU distanced itself from his actions and stressed that Orbán’s actions only represented his own country.

The European Commission says that it cannot legally deprive Orbán of the presidency in the EU Council, but can boycott it.