Orbán cabinet: ‘We are the European People’s Party’

“We are the European People’s Party because we continue to represent the heritage of one-time German Chancellor Helmut Kohl,” government spokesman Zoltán Kovács said in an interview published in Thursday’s Magyar Hírlap.

Kovács said that similarly to the EPP’s founders “we believe that the values of European Christian culture must be preserved and the aim is to have nation states cooperating with each other in the European Union.”

“It is certain that power relations will change in the European Parliament after the EP elections next May,” he said.

Despite some differences in opinion, he said Hungary’s ruling parties support Manfred Weber for the post of lead candidate for heading the European Commission. It is possible to engage in “sensible and meaningful debates” with Weber, unlike with Alexander Stubb, who belongs to the EPP liberal wing, he added.

In response to a question concerning a possible future compromise by the Hungarian government regarding the Sargentini report, which Weber supported in an EP vote, he said such a move “would go against common sense” because Hungary is right about its aims, and order needs to be part and parcel of a democracy, too.