Government spokesman: Europe in danger if EP split over migration issue

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltán Kovács told journalists in Brussels on Monday that partisan and ideologically motivated forces could end up splitting the European Parliament by hijacking criticism of Hungary and Poland to achieve their own political goals.

“If the EP falls into this trap, this will be bad for the whole of Europe,” the spokesman said.

Recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the Sargentini report, are the means for them to achieve their goals, he said.

“Hungary … is fighting for its political standpoint and for what it knows is right … because it has nothing to be ashamed of and in most past cases it has been proven right,” he said.

Kovács said Hungary had become a central focus in Europe because it talked about matters “that are meaningful … important and serious”. These are essential to the future of Europe and to the European project, he said.

Hungary has presented a clear position in this respect in the past few years, Kovács said. Hungary’s views on migration, economic problems, the functioning of EU institutions and the state of European democracy are clear, he said, adding that “the democratic deficit that emerged in recent years” in European institutions was unsustainable.