The carpet is installed in the headquarters of the Council of Europe A giant carpet installed by Hungary in Brussels to mark the start of its EU presidency has triggered accusations of nationalist nostalgia in Budapest.
The "historical timeline" features - among other symbols - a 1848 map of Greater Hungary, when Budapest ruled over large swathes of its neighbours.
One MEP said the map showed Budapest's "intention to overcome the Treaty of Trianon" in 1920, when Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory.
Hungary denied the accusations.
The 202 sq m (2,174 sq ft) carpet was unveiled by the Hungarian government at the atrium of the headquarters of the Council of Europe, where officials from the 27-member EU hold their summits.
The carpet - made by artist Livia Papai and approved by the Hungarian government - features Hungarian kings, composers and scientists.
But it was the 1848 map - when Hungary governed over large parts of modern-day Slovakia, Romania and other countries - that drew immediate criticism.
Austrian MEP Ulrika Lunacek said the map - in the middle of the composition - represented current Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's "intention to overcome the Treaty of Trianon".
"It is a very backwards view of Mr Orban, not at all in the direction of a common European future. It is also a complete misinterpretation of EU's current challenges," she added.
Ioan Mircea Pascu, a lawmaker from Romania, said that "the importance given to 'Greater Hungary' is not the most inspired symbol for the Hungarian EU presidency".
"Such gestures are likely to fuel nationalistic reactions within the EU, at a time when the union is most of need of solidarity."
However, a spokesman for the Hungarian EU presidency dismissed the allegations.
"The carpet is basically a timeline of cultural, historical and scientific symbols or images of Hungary," Marton Hajdu told the EU Observer.
It is not the first time that the centre-right government of Mr Orban has caused controversy.
Earlier this month, it oversaw the introduction of a new citizenship law, giving citizenship to ethnic Hungarians living abroad.
Some politicians in Slovakia - which has a large ethnic Hungarian minority - condemned the new move.
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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-europe-12194899
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