Brussels wants to prevent Orbán from further abusing his temporary EU presidency with this boycott. Other EU countries have not (yet) joined the boycott but will review their delegation to Budapest on a case-by-case basis.
The first calls for a boycott came from a group of Members of the European Parliament who urged the European Union to strip Hungary of its voting rights in the Council of the EU. The call was made in response to Orbán's meeting with Putin and his continued criticism of the EU's support for Ukraine.
Several high-ranking EU officials have supported this call and indicated they will not participate in ministerial meetings organized under the Hungarian presidency. This means many meetings may take place without the presence of prominent EU officials.
A key point of concern is the scheduled summit in Budapest, where EU Foreign Ministers were to meet at the end of this month. Several member states have already announced they will boycott this summit. The European Commission has also declared that none of its commissioners will participate in events organized by the Hungarian government.
The tensions between Hungary and the rest of the EU are not new. Hungary has previously been criticized for its domestic policy, including issues concerning the rule of law, press freedom, and human rights.
Analysts point out that the boycott of meetings in Hungary could seriously hinder the effectiveness of the Hungarian presidency. Without the participation of key EU officials, important decisions may be delayed or harder to achieve. The Hungarian government has responded by emphasizing that the country will fulfill its role as president properly, despite the boycott.
Orbán has previously criticized what he sees as EU interference in Hungary's internal affairs and continues to maintain that his meeting with Putin was in Hungary’s national interest.