Head of Hungary’s EP delegation: EC unlawfully withholding funding from Hungary

The European Commission is violating the law by withholding recovery funding from Hungary for “political” and “ideological” reasons, the head of governing Fidesz’s delegation in the European Parliament said on public radio on Sunday.

MEP Tamás Deutsch told Kossuth Rádió that European Commissioner for Economy Paulo Gentiloni said days earlier that the EC had not transferred Hungary’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funding because of concerns over ensuring public education regulation is free of discrimination.

He said Gentiloni’s remarks were “a rude surprise”, considering the commissioner had earlier said the issue of Hungarian legislation that codifies parents’ right to take charge of their children’s sexual education “played no role” in the EC’s delay of the approval of Hungary’s RRF plan.

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“Hardly a month has gone by and Commissioner Gentiloni tells the truth,” he added.

Deutsch said the EC is raising concerns over an issue that is “solely in the scope of power of member states”. He added that Hungary’s government would “double its efforts” to counter the EC’s unlawful action and could launch a legal procedure.

Meanwhile, he said Fidesz would address the matter in “all legal forums” of the European Parliament.

Commenting on holding Hungary’s upcoming general elections, Deutsch said international organisations “can send whomever they please”, as they did in the 2014 and the 2018 elections.

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“If anybody wants to play election observer, they’re welcome to come, we have nothing to hide,” he added.

“Hungary is a normally functioning democracy under rule of law, where free and fair elections will take place again,” he said.

He said “well known left-wing efforts to work up hysteria over the Hungarian elections” were underway in the European Parliament with the aim of “supporting the weak Hungarian left-wing”.

“Life must be terrible for those Western European politicians who are forced to go against their own convictions and repeat the mantras based on lies about Hungary fearing attacks by NGOs controlled by Soros organisations,” he added.

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Source: MTI