Politico reports that EU High Representative of Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell is planning to organize a formal meeting of EU foreign ministers the same day that Hungary (as six-month president of the Council of the European Union) has scheduled a foreign affairs council meeting Aug. 28-29. “If there’s a formal foreign affairs council, organized by the high representative [Borrell] the same day, the ministers won’t be able to go to Budapest,” said one of the diplomats. Another added that by boycotting the Budapest meeting, the other foreign ministers wanted to “send a clear signal that Hungary does not speak for the EU.”
The EU started boycotting the Hungarian presidency on July 9, when the informal meeting of industry ministers in Budapest was attended by only seven ministers and none of the EU Commission members.
