Palko believes that the hysteria surrounding the document is evident after reading the points about Hungary’s mistakes. The twelve areas of criticism suggest that in Hungary everything is wrong. Many of the criticisms can also be attributed to other countries of the European Union as well, but that was not recognized by the MEPs.
Many of the statements are refutable, like the claim about the Hungarian election “atmosphere”, immigration and terrorism, or the state interference in the judicial system, which is characteristic in many Central European countries.
Regarding the area of corruption, the report mentions no direct cases and the European Parliament was not dealing with corruption-related activities in other cases, like Italy in the nineties. Finding a scapegoat is not a solution.
“If a common reader finds the claim that religious freedom is problematic, he can ask the question whether somebody in Hungary could be persecuted for his beliefs. Of course, it is not like that,” Palko points out.
Some of the minor religions are not registered by the state and one of them was able to prove in the European Court and Hungary that this is unconstitutional. However, in many other states it happens that religious communities are not registered automatically. In the meanwhile, in 2004 the Italian candidate for president of the European Commission, Rocco Buttiglione was criticized for his views on homosexuality, which were identical to Catholic beliefs. “Who is actually trying to give lessons about religious freedom?,” asks the former minister.
Palko claims that the report is about dividing the European Union. The document proves that the mainstream of European politics by socialists, liberals and flawed Christian democrats are moving to the role of the sole interpreter of European treaties and international documents. “This is about Europe and about those, who are talking about saving the European Union are also able to destroy it. And these people should be stopped,” he points out.
