IDM Short Insights 42: Poland and Hungary. Friends no more?
Five things you need to know about the current state of Polish-Hungarian relations!
“Pole, Hungarian, brothers be?” This old saying has been put to the test recently, as relations between the Hungarian and Polish governments continue to deteriorate. The latest flashpoint: Viktor Orbán granting political asylum to Poland’s former deputy justice minister, who is wanted on a European Arrest Warrant for serious corruption cases.
Our colleagues, Malwina Talik and Peter Techet, answer five key questions about this case and the ongoing cooling of Hungarian-Polish relations.
Transcript:
“Pole, Hungarian brothers be”, that’s a saying popular in both countries, which emphasizes a strong bond between them. But the relation between Poland and Hungary has turned into a family drama in recent time.
What happened?
Marcin Romanowski, who served as a deputy justice minister under the Law and Justice government, was about to be arrested. The reason? Eleven charges against him, including fraud and an attempted fraud of about 39 million euro, which were to be used for support of crime victims. But Marcin Romanowski disappeared without a trace, which is why the Polish authorities issued a European Arrest Warrant for him. Then, unexpectedly, he appeared in Hungary, where he was warmly welcomed by Viktor Orbán.
Why would Orbán do it?
Orbán is friend of Poland, but I would say only if the political allies had the power. Orbán tried to help his allies to rescue from Poland. But it’s not the first case Orbán is doing this way, because in 2019 the Hungarian authorities had Nikolai Gruevski, a former minister-president, prime minister of North Macedonia, to rescue from his own country. And now he’s living in Budapest, and he was also charged for corruption issues in North Macedonia.
Can an EU country do that?
Yes, it’s not so usual, but we can recall the case of Belgium. Because Belgium refused to extradite the former president of Catalonia, Puigdemont, to Spain, claiming that the process against him was politically motivated in Spain.
How did Poland respond?
Polish authorities consider it a hostile act by Budapest. The Polish ambassador in Hungary was summoned back to Warsaw for consultations, which in diplomatic language means a serious cooling of relations. And the Hungarian ambassador in Poland is considered persona non grata. He was also disinvited from the gala starting the Polish presidency of the EU Council. This is quite a telling and symbolic gesture because Hungary has just concluded its own presidency. And this is just one example for the growing rift between Poland and Hungary.
Why are Poland and Hungary are drifting apart?
Poland is among the most vocal supporters of Ukraine and objects vehemently to the Russian war of aggression and Russian politics. Hungary is pursuing very pro-Russian politics, that’s why even during the former Polish government, the relationship between Poland and Hungary deteriorated, because even the party of Kaczyński is quite anti-Russian and pro-Ukrainian. So I would say the issue with Ukraine would always be a problematic issue between Orbán and any Polish government. Another reason is the approach to the EU. Poland has under the current government a very pro-European stance and has the ambition of becoming an even more important player in EU affairs. And Donald Tusk poses a big threat for Orbán, because the case of Tusk demonstrates how it is possible to transform an illiberal democracy into a liberal one, even sometimes with problematic methods. And at the same time the biggest opponent of Viktor Orbán nowadays in Hungary, Péter Magyar, is sitting in the same party, the European People’s Party, like Donald Tusk. So we’ll see how the situation will evolve. Orbán has promised that he can grant asylum to even more former Polish politicians. And this could drive a further wedge between the two countries.