Justice minister: Hungary ‘wins battle’ over EU budget

The Hungarian government “won a battle” at last week’s European Union summit over the community’s budget, but “the war goes on” in the EU’s institutions, Justice Minister Judit Varga told public Kossuth Radio on Sunday.

“Leftist-liberal forces would not accept that some have a different position on Europe’s Christian roots, immigration, multi-culturalism and the role of the family,” she insisted. “Though they now lost a battle…, they won’t give up fighting,” she added.

Concerning the EU’s decision-making mechanism, she said that procedures were “lengthy and complicated” but stressed that the EU was “not a superpower over the nations” adding that “the European Council’s conclusions set political directions”.

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The European Parliament, on the other hand, appeared at the time of the coronavirus crisis as “part of the problem rather than the solution”, she said, adding that the body had “attacked Hungary” over its coronavirus prevention law.

She also said that the EP was politically biased and “cannot see that the large EU countries are in great trouble” and could soon be on the verge of bankruptcy.

Varga said that members of the EU are on consensus with regard to respecting the community’s fundamental values such as “freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights”. The members, however, “clearly supported” that the European Commission “should not threaten members with foggy and abstract sanctions linked to the rule of law”, citing budgetary interests and fiscal discipline, Varga said.

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“When the heads of state and government declare that criteria related to the rule of law must not be linked to financial considerations, that is a clear, political directive,” the minister said.

Concerning the EU’s Article 7 procedure against Hungary, Varga said that her government had “answered all questions from a legal aspect”, adding that she hoped that the procedure would be concluded “as early as possible”, before the end of the EU’s German presidency.

Source: MTI