Hungarian foreign minister: Europe must learn lesson from Brexit

Budapest, June 24 (MTI) – Europe must learn the lesson from Brexit, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday.

The first lesson is that “people’s opinions should be heard, even in Brussels,” Szijjártó told a press conference on the British vote to leave the European Union. The second is that it is not possible to avoid the consequences of politics that neglect Europeans’ opinions or go against them, he added.

It is in everybody’s interest to have a strong Europe but that is only possible if the EU gives real responses to serious challenges because Europe cannot be strong if its responses weaken the member states and the EU.

An additional lesson to be learnt is that “the age of sincere politics must come to Europe”. In the recent period, the EU has pursued hypocritical politics concerned with political correctness and as a result, it was unable to offer the correct responses to a number of challenges and crises. These responses were consequently made by the member states, he added.

He said the unprecedented and complicated process of the UK’s exit from the EU would last about two years.