Hungarian politician: EU summit targets Hungary’s sovereignty in ‘head-on attack’
Hungary’s sovereignty was at the receiving end of a “head-on attack” at the summit of EU leaders this week, the state secretary for international communication and relations said on Sunday, adding that Brussels was likely trying to interfere in another area of Hungarian domestic politics.
Hungary’s sovereignty attacked?
While Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had planned on discussing the programme of Hungary’s EU presidency and the adoption of a new competitiveness pact, “Hungary’s sovereignty and government came under a head-on attack”, Zoltán Kovács told public broadcaster Kossuth Radio. Whereas so far Hungary had been attacked over its policies concerning demography, its utility price caps and its position on the Russia-Ukraine war, this time it was over tax policy, the state secretary said.
Hungary’s government has consistently said since 2010 that the burden of solving economic problems stemming from problems faced by the European economy cannot be placed on the people, he said, adding that the solution had to involve those who contributed to triggering the problems or benefited from them. Meanwhile, Kovács called the victory plan unveiled by the Ukrainian president a “communications trick”. He said that though there were those in Europe and the United States who believed they could defeat Russia, it was “obvious that Ukraine isn’t winning” the war, and it was unlikely that a lasting peace could not be achieved on the battlefield.
Therefore, he added, a ceasefire and peace talks were needed as soon as possible. Kovács said it was also clear at this week’s summit that the EU was split into two groups on the war: “the pro-peace side comprising Hungary and certain nationally-minded rational parties who are not yet in government and everyone else”. He said Europe did not have a clear plan but was continuing to push member states to back the war along communication and narratives. Concerning migration, Kovács said he believed it was clear that there was a growing need to review the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact, referring to reports by Politico of growing criticism of the pact.
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