The honeymoon is over
That’s not to say they didn’t find common ground. Few expressed optimism about the EU’s chances of reaching a deal without the Hungarian prime minister.
“For the first time in years there are no Russians in the room,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on social networksreferring to Orbán’s closeness to President Vladimir Putin. “Very sorry.”
Michal, Estonia’s prime minister, told POLITICO that without Orbán in the room, leaders were going through a honeymoon period.
“You can feel the positive energy,” he said. “Viktor Orbán was somewhat a symbol – no individual – but the symbol was that he was inside the European Union, enjoying everything inside the EU… but at the same time, fighting against the European Union.
“And now that legacy is out of the room, I would say yes, you can feel it. Everyone is talking about what’s going to happen in Europe next.”
What happens next depends on whether the leaders can resolve their differences on everything from Ukraine’s membership to the bloc’s finances. As an “informal” gathering of leaders, the EU talks to a conference without a joint declaration at the end, the two-day talks in Cyprus will never be a summit where major decisions were made.
