Hungarian: "We will represent Hungary differently"

Állítsd be a Telexet megbízható forrásnak!

“We will represent Hungary differently,” Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said at his brief press conference in Brussels on Thursday ahead of the meeting of the European Council. He said it was unlikely that they would be in agreement about everything with the other member states, but he was committed to representing the interests of the Hungarian people in every discussion. Referring to the attitude of Viktor Orbán’s former government, he added:

“We will not fight just for the sake of fighting; whether we agree or veto something here, it will not be for reasons of domestic politics or party-politics, but solely based on the Hungarian interest.”

Prior to these remarks, Magyar mentioned that he had had a meeting with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, during which she assured him that the country would receive all necessary assistance to bring the Article 7 procedure to a close. He then attended a meeting of the heads of state and government of the European People’s Party, followed by a gathering of the “Friends of Cohesion” (the largest beneficiaries of EU funds) organized by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He had also had a brief discussion with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, and then held consultations with the leaders of the V4 countries.

“I am pleased that they have all accepted my invitation, and we will be able to meet in Budapest and Gödöllő next week, on June 23.” They agreed that it is important to restart the Visegrád coordination and that it is a pity it has not been functioning for years.

In his opinion, Hungary is being welcomed with great anticipation in the EU right now. He said that this will be the first time since March of last year that the Council will adopt a text on enlargement, competitiveness, China, and the seven-year budget. Member states plan to reach an agreement on the latter in December, and the “friends of cohesion” are united on the issue.

In response to a question, he said he was pleased that a political solution had been reached with the European Commission concerning the allocation of 6,000 billion forints in EU funds to Hungary. The necessary legislative amendments are currently underway, which the opposition is trying to block, but “they will not succeed.” Magyar also welcomed the fact that an agreement had been reached with Ukraine regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia. This made it possible to open the first cluster of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine. In his view, the Hungarian government is not alone in its opposition to opening the other clusters.

“Views are divided on the subject of Ukraine’s EU accession; Hungary is advocating a merit-based, performance-based process,” Magyar said when asked about Ukraine’s potential accelerated accession. In his view, the EU cannot bypass the Western Balkan countries—which have been negotiating for years—with a different kind of enlargement process; as that would be neither honest nor pragmatic. “Some might want a different kind of accession process; some would open everything immediately; and some would open only two chapters,” he said, noting that the Hungarian government is among the member states which would proceed more slowly. There will need to be unanimity; “it’s difficult to find a compromise among 27 member states, but I remember instances in the past when it was achieved,” said the Prime Minister.

“The devil is in the details,” he said, referring to the upcoming Council conclusions. “Old-timers” like Robert Fico and Donald Tusk told Magyar that Council meetings are never boring—“you have to stay alert, pay attention, and it’s not worth going out for coffee”—he said, referring to Viktor Orbán’s legendary absence in 2023. Magyar said that he won’t be leaving the room, no matter how long the night ends up being.

In response to a question from Telex, he said they are working to find a solution to the subject of the €1 million-per-day fine before the European Court of Justice. There will be a meeting on Friday in Brussels among representatives of countries with strict immigration policies. He said that when this whole affair began, the legal framework and the mood were different in Europe. Member states opposed to migration will also be holding a meeting. “We must work to find a solution that achieves what the previous government was aiming for, but without having to pay the fine", he said, promising that as soon as the draft legislation is ready, they will communicate about it. He brought up the subject of the planned migrant camp in Vitnyéd again, then said that he would not allow illegal migrants to enter the country, but he also plans to tighten restrictions on legal immigration. “Under the Orbán government, this affair cost the country 1 billion euros, or approximately 400 billion forints,” but according to Magyar, the current government—formed barely a month ago—is doing everything it can to minimize damage and put…