Viktor Orbán: Hungary stands by Poland

The European Union’s procedure against Poland is “unlawful”, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview broadcast on Polish public television TVP on Wednesday night, and assured Poland of Hungary’s support.

Poland has suffered unfair treatment, Orbán said concerning the procedure, which the EU launched under Article 7 of the EU Treaty, and added that Hungary’s supporting Poland is “in the interest of central Europe”.

Orbán suggested that the dispute between the EU and Poland was triggered by central Europe’s recently increased weight in the bloc. Countries of the region want to have “a say in EU decisions according to how much they contribute to the economic growth of Europe”, Orbán insisted.

The prime minister attributed the dispute to the EU’s centre shifting eastward, and cooperation between Germany and the Visegrád group (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) getting at least as important to Europe as the cooperation between Germany and France. The West must get used to the new situation, he said.

Concerning disputes within the European Union, Orbán stressed the need of continuous talks, even if there is but a slight hope for compromise.

“True, the 28 member states do not see the world in the same way. While some of them, mainly western countries, would like to enter a post-Christian or post-national era, we stick to our roots and take a different approach to migration,” Orbán said.