Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs Janos Boka stated that European countries are struggling due to their own poor decisions in response to what he described as the biggest crisis in the EU’s history. According to Boka, EU leadership is currently facing the greatest crisis in the past decade.
In an interview with Magyar Nemzet, Boka commented on a YouGov survey showing growing support in Western Europe, particularly in southern regions, for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine—one that could involve conceding territory to Russia. At the same time, fewer people are in favor of supporting Ukraine “until the bitter end.” Boka argued that a new strategy is needed in the Ukrainian conflict to help “heal” the EU.
“Europe is in trouble because the European Union is grappling with the greatest crisis in its history, and it has responded to this crisis with repeated missteps over the past ten years. In order to restore Europe’s health, we must heal the European Union itself,” Boka said. He emphasized the need to change the EU’s migration and environmental policies, as well as to restore the powers of member states.
Boka also predicted that the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament will play a central role in forming a new political majority. He believes that restoring stability in Europe requires a “real alternative” to the EU’s response to the Ukrainian crisis, which will ultimately lead to a new system of European security. He added, “I have little hope that EU institutions will suddenly reform themselves. They will continue to make the same flawed decisions they always have until national politicians in every member state realize that their own fates are at stake.”
The minister also noted that the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament has already recognized the EU’s problems and has positioned itself as an opposition force to the existing institutional structure. Boka predicts that defending this opposition stance will be the group’s main focus next year and believes that the faction has the potential to play a central role in the new political majority in Europe. Many analysts share this view, with several reports highlighting the group’s growing competition to conservative factions.
