Orbán cancels European Parliament speech due to flooding in Hungary

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán postponed a speech at the European Parliament on Wednesday due to flooding in Hungary.

“Due to the extreme weather conditions and the ongoing floods in Hungary, I have postponed all my international obligations,” Orbán said Monday.

Torrential rain and floods hit Central and Eastern Europe over the weekend, killing at least 10 people and forcing thousands to evacuate from their homes. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Sunday that Poland was preparing to declare a “state of natural disaster.”

The Hungarian leader was scheduled to speak in front of the Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday and present the program of activities of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU.

In a statement, the European Parliament said, “President [Roberta] Metsola spoke to PM Orbán to convey that the European Parliament stands ready to do what it can to help all those impacted.

“President Metsola understood the situation and agreed that she will liaise with the Political Groups for the debate scheduled for this week with the Prime Minister on the Presidency priorities to be postponed to a later sitting,” the statement added.

Orbán’s speech was set to be a dramatic moment during the plenary session in Strasbourg, as the first speech by a prime minister from the new right-wing Patriots group in the Parliament — while it would also have been Orbán’s first face-to-face clash with MEP Peter Magyar, a domestic opponent who is pulling strong support at home in Hungary.