Government, opposition discuss EU future

Budapest (MTI) – Politicians discussed the future of the European Union and Hungary’s place in it at a conference on Wednesday, with all sides agreeing that the EU could serve as a positive force as long as Hungary is able to enforce its interests within it.

State Secretary Nándor Csepreghy said on behalf of the government that the EU in its current state was pointless, but added that the bloc should confront its demographic and economic challenges so that it can redefine its interests and goals. Prime Minister Viktor Orban is also working to ensure that the EU can be changed from within, he said.

The Socialist Party’s Ágnes Kunhalmi described Csepreghy’s remarks as “dangerous”, arguing that Hungary has only benefited from its EU membership. She said it was encouraging that Euroscepticism had not taken hold in Hungary “despite the government propaganda”. But Kunhalmi said the prime minister based his foreign policy in connection with the EU purely on his domestic political goals, which she said undermined Hungary’s ability to enforce its interests within the bloc.