Hungary seems ready to abandon its economic march in Transylvania for the time being, while Romania instead promises support in the gas crisis that has engulfed the entire continent, writes Deutsche Welle.

Romanian Foreign Minister Bohdan Aurescu and his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijharto appeared cheerfully in front of the cameras on Tuesday, talking to each other like two old friends. A picture that contrasts with the bilateral austerity of the past decade, when high-level visits were suspended and the two sides crossed paths more through communiqués and sharp diplomatic retorts than in sit-down discussions to find solutions.

Peter Szijjarto insisted on opening the door again at a time when Hungary is in international isolation, playing the Russian card beyond what is acceptable. The foreign policy printed by Viktor Orbán, on the two axes of Beijing and Moscow, turns out to be a loser, and Budapest is trying to rehabilitate itself in the Euro-Atlantic zone on the last hundred meters. Hungary’s nationalist politics are reeling from an economic crisis that has sent the forint to a historic low, and the government in Budapest has accepted all the conditions put forward by the European Commission to gain access to money from Brussels.

European politics of money versus the rule of law could change the populist trajectory of the government in Budapest. Last week, Hungary promised, among other things, to change criminal rules in corruption trials, to allow more space for public consultation on government-initiated laws and to reduce the number of emergency decrees. In addition, the government led by Viktor Orbán accepted the recommendation of the European Commission that a significant part of the EU funds should be directed to increasing energy independence, especially since Hungary imports about 80% of its gas needs and 65% of its oil needs from Russia.

Budapest now has access to Russian gas at five times the market price through a pipeline that runs through Bulgaria and Serbia, although Russia has cut off Bulgarians’ access to the gas. Hungarian officials, who refused to condemn Russian aggression, are beginning to think about the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, Budapest began a counterattack among the Euro-Atlantic world, but without abandoning its eastern directions.

In Bucharest, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Peter Sijarto, discussed with his Romanian counterpart “a significant increase in the capacity of the interconnector, which connects the gas distribution networks of Romania and Hungary.” The head of diplomacy from Budapest explained that currently Romania can receive 2.6 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Hungary, while in the reverse direction, from Romania to Hungary, the interconnector can support only 1.7 billion cubic meters per year, and this amount will increase in two stages: first up to 2.5 billion, and then up to 3 billion annually.

In exchange for the hand extended by Romania, Hungary is ready to make symbolic and diplomatic concessions: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s annual visit to the Tusnad summer camp next week will no longer worry and incite the young Hungarians who came there. to excessive patriotic enthusiasms and medieval conquering passions; economic projects designated by Budapest only for the Hungarian community will no longer be discriminatory, or, given the crisis already felt, will no longer be discriminatory; Hungary supports Romania’s accession to the Schengen free movement zone because it is tired of ensuring the security of this border, where migrants from the South also flock.

Apart from these compromises, Hungary and Romania continue to support each other in important positions in various international institutions. For example, Hungary can bet on President Klaus Iohannis in the race for NATO leadership and, more importantly, it will stop opposing Romania’s entry into the OECD, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The nightmare of the economic and energy crisis and the imbalance in the international system force Hungary and Romania to leave aside difficult topics, those that incite hatred, separatism and unnecessary provocations. It is not about reconciliation, but about pragmatism. A form of realpolitik, so that both sides think they want to win, neither of them actually practice their sincerity.