Staying away from closer EU cooperation would be ‘sin’, say Socialists

Budapest, March 27 (MTI) – Staying away from tighter cooperation envisaged by the statement signed on the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome on Sunday would be a “historical sin” committed against the Hungarian nation, opposition Socialist group leader Bertalan Tóth told a press briefing on Monday.

The Socialists share the goal declared in the statement that Europe should be safe and secure, prospering and sustainable, socially empathetic and internationally active, he said.

However, the idea of the member states taking action, if need be, “in different depths and with different speed” raises concerns, as the scenario implying a two-speed Europe would force Hungary to decide which circle it wants to belong to, he said.

The EU’s systematic problems should not be a reason to thwart all initiatives but should be addressed to create a socially inclusive Europe. The Socialists fight to integrate Hungary as much as possible into the EU’s decision-making process, he said.

MEP István Ujhelyi, the party’s deputy leader, said it would be “a historical sin, a dead end”, if Prime Minister Viktor Orbán continued his anti-EU policies.

“The two-tier Europe will mean that a country or two, Hungary and Poland, would not be involved in more rapid progress within the European Union,” he said.

Source: MTI