VIDEO: Fidesz MEP’s English skills under scrutiny after awkward EP speech
Fidesz MEP Tamás Deutsch faced a challenging moment during a Budgetary Control Committee meeting in the European Parliament on Monday, exposing his difficulties with speaking English. The incident occurred when the committee chair, Niclas Herbst, was delayed, leaving Deutsch unexpectedly tasked with opening the session.
A rocky start
The situation visibly caught Deutsch off guard, as evidenced by his hesitant demeanour and nervous expression as he approached the microphone, 444.hu reports. Struggling to explain Herbst’s absence and his own sudden role in leading the meeting, Deutsch delivered a series of grammatically incorrect sentences. He admitted that the unexpected responsibility was “bad news” for him but attempted to reassure attendees that Herbst would arrive within 5–10 minutes.
Deutsch’s difficulties didn’t end there. Reading the agenda items proved laborious, requiring frequent assistance from the member seated next to him. His pronounced accent and frequent grammatical errors further underscored his struggle, particularly when posing questions to the participants.
Criticism and comparisons
The incident quickly sparked reactions online. Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, criticised Deutsch in a Facebook post, contrasting his performance with a speech by fellow Hungarian MEP Dóra Dávid, who spoke fluent English in the same parliamentary setting. Magyar’s video juxtaposed Deutsch’s fumbling with Dávid’s confident delivery, accompanied by the caption:
“[Would you choose] Fidesz’s MEP, who has been lounging in Brussels for 15 years, struggles to even read a prepared text, let alone understand it. Or the Tisza? Your choice.”
Magyar also pointed out that the European Parliament offers free language courses for MEPs to help avoid such embarrassing moments, suggesting that Deutsch could have taken advantage of them during his long tenure in the EU Parliament.
Deutsch’s response
In response, Deutsch posted a brief, sarcastic comment on social media, seemingly poking fun at himself: “Miszter Magyar, Máj inglis ekszent indíd iz from Kelenföld. Rili szori. Dec it.” (“Mister Magyar, my English accent indeed is from Kelenföld. Really sorry. That’s it.”)
Double standards?
This episode has drawn parallels to previous political controversies. Critics noted that Fidesz’s media had heavily scrutinised Gergely Karácsony, Budapest’s mayor, for his English skills during the 2021 opposition primaries. Despite the backlash, Karácsony publicly demonstrated his improvement by delivering a speech in English later that year. Some have speculated whether Deutsch might similarly feel compelled to address his linguistic shortcomings after this incident. While fluency in English may not define a politician’s overall effectiveness, Deutsch’s difficulties have raised questions about language preparedness among long-serving MEPs.
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