A Limited Priority: Hungary and the Eastern Neighbourhood
A Limited Priority: Hungary and the Eastern Neighbourhood

Summary/Abstract: The broader Eastern European region plays only a limited role in Hungarian foreign policy. Hungarian foreign policy focuses only on two of the six countries of Eastern Europe, namely on Ukraine and Moldova. Azerbaijan, as a third Eastern European country in the Hungarian foreign policy, is only present there due to energy security-related considerations. This prioritization is well reflected in the Hungarian diplomatic presence in the region, and also in the bilateral development assistance cooperation. However, Budapest is eager to strengthen and contribute to multilateral institutions and cooperation forums that are active in the region, such as the Visegrad Cooperation, the Eastern Partnership, and the Danube Strategy. This preference for multilateral activities is also connected to Hungary’s serious shortage of financial resources, which indeed limits its bilateral actions. All in all, the Hungarian foreign policy towards Eastern Europe is dominantly motivated by rational considerations, while the concept of solidarity can be applied to this case only to a limited extent.

• Details
• Contents