Sweden’s NATO application on Hungarian agenda, delays still expected

The Hungarian parliament has put Sweden’s application to join NATO on the agenda for its extraordinary session on Monday, but lawmakers from the ruling Fidesz party are unlikely to attend, meaning Sweden’s already 20-month wait in the NATO queue could not be over quite yet.

The Hungarian parliament will hold an extraordinary session on 5 February at the opposition’s request. After the Turkish parliament approved Sweden’s bid to become NATO’s 32nd member last week, Hungary is officially the last NATO country to vote on the issue.

However, it remains unclear how many – if any – members of the ruling Fidesz party will attend the meeting, as they said on Thursday they would “wait” to vote on Sweden’s NATO membership until Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have “a meeting”.

The two leaders did, however, get the chance to exchange a few words on the sidelines of the European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday, after which Kristersson said his discussion with Viktor Orban had laid the groundwork for future talks.

“I thought it was a good conversation that laid the foundation for a more long-term conversation next time, where we both recognised where we have common denominators and where we clearly have different opinions on well-known issues,” Kristersson said.

Among other issues, the two leaders are expected to discuss the countries’ approach to NATO, business interests and the Swedish-built Jas 39 Gripen fighter aircraft owned by both countries’ militaries.

Orban had earlier invited Kristersson to Budapest to discuss Sweden’s NATO bid, but the Swedish prime minister had previously made it clear that he would not negotiate with Orbán on NATO membership, saying that Sweden had done its part. “There is no question of any negotiations for Sweden. We are done,” the Swedish prime minister said last week.

Kristersson reiterated his position after talks with Orbán on Thursday, telling him they would not meet in Budapest until Hungary had ratified the application.

“I have no date yet, but the natural thing is to meet when we have become members. We have much more to discuss when we are members,” Kristersson said at a press conference.

However, Kristersson added that during the meeting, he was not given any dates for when the Hungarian parliament could vote or when his meeting with Orbán could occur.

So far, the opposition parties have been successful in their demand that parliament be recalled from its winter break next week, but after a meeting on Thursday at which no Fidesz MPs turned up, it is doubtful that there will be any ratification soon, as the party is in no hurry.

Both the Parliamentary Speaker László Kövér and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó have recently made it clear that they see no reason to decide on the issue before parliament reconvenes on 26 February.

The issue will be closely watched in Europe and across the pond, where patience with the Hungarian prime minister is thin.

Speaking to reporters in Washington on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Budapest to act quickly.

“Sweden brings tremendous capabilities to the alliance in every domain. Hungary will now have to act to complete the process of Sweden’s accession. But I fully anticipate that will happen in the weeks ahead when Hungary’s parliament returns,” Blinken said.

(Charles Szumski | Euractiv.com)

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