Visegrad Group call for stronger role of national parliaments in EU

The countries of the Visegrad Group call for strengthening the role of national parliaments in the European Union and expect effective representation of V4 interests at the Brexit talks, the closing statement of a meeting of V4 European affairs committees issued on Monday showed. 

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, ruling Fidesz lawmaker Richárd Hörcsik, who heads the EU affairs committee in Hungary’s parliament, noted that Hungary took over the rotating six-month presidency of the V4 on July 1.

The meeting in Sárospatak in NE Hungary represented the first parliamentary level meeting of the presidency,

he added.
The V4 countries had repeatedly stated in the past that they consider strengthening the role of national parliaments in the EU important. The Lisbon Treaty also makes this possible and this will be utilised when efforts need to be made against Brussels’ attempts to take away powers from member states, he added.

Another important topic on the agenda of the meeting was

Brexit “which will hurt everyone” so reducing the damage as much as possible is in everyone’s interest,

Hörcsik said.

The V4 countries do not plan to sign a separate agreement with Britain but they expect EU representatives to markedly represent central-eastern European interests at the Brexit talks. If any V4 member country appears to suffer disadvantages at the talks, the group will take action together, Hörcsik added.

House Speaker proposes ‘rapid response’ V4 group to review EU proposals

House Speaker László Kövér has proposed that the Visegrad Group (V4) countries should form a so-called “rapid response group” to review European Union proposals that can be influenced by national parliaments.

In his opening address to a meeting of V4 parliamentary EU affairs committees in Sárospatak, Kövér said that although EU decisions are supposed to have parliamentary legitimacy, voters are often right to feel like they have too little say in them.

Kövér called

it unacceptable that “the European Commission can simply sweep a proposal off the table” in connection with which the parliaments of eleven member states have voiced concerns.

He said that an appointed body had to be overseen by a “parliament of legitimate popular representation”. If the European Parliament does not do this then it is up to national parliaments to find a way, Kövér added.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI