Hungary will no longer use veto to blackmail EU – New foreign minister

Hungary's new Foreign Minister Anita Orbán, ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 11 May, stated that her country will no longer use its veto right on European Union policy as an instrument of blackmail and will work to restore the trust of its EU and NATO partners.

As reported by Bloomberg, Orbán stressed that Hungary "has too often become an obstacle in Europe's decision-making process".

"We used the veto not as a last resort, but for political PR," she said.

Regarding Ukraine, Orbán stated that Budapest will support its further EU integration only on the basis of "strict national interest" and will continue to demand additional rights for the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.

On 9 May, Péter Magyar, leader of Tisza, the former opposition party, was sworn in and officially began its work.

Prior to that, a new speaker was elected during the parliament's inaugural session; one of her first decisions was to return the EU flag to the parliament building.