Recently, Manfred Weber, the European People’s Party (EPP) faction leader, argued in a column for Welt am Sonntag that Fidesz had become allied with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) by leaving the EPP, which was constantly shifting to the left. As so many times before, his claim is no longer true.
We are fighting a life-and-death battle with the coronavirus. European cooperation is also being tested by the epidemic. It is difficult for European citizens to accept that there are few vaccines authorized at the European level, that procurement is slow, and that decisions are stalled. They know how much we need solidarity, but they rightly think that solidarity does not mean losing lives that we can save.
In the current crisis, people’s need for straightforward, honest, understandable speech and action has become even more apparent. The need to see a strong and successful Europe of member states, nations and citizens instead of a Europe of bureaucrats and institutions. There are more and more people who feel that freedom, the nation, the traditional family, the Christian culture, and human dignity are values that are no longer represented by the nominal center-right parties.
We Hungarians, who have lived as a Christian nation in the heart of Europe for more than a thousand years, know where we are going. We have a definite idea of how to build a competitive, modern country while preserving our culture and national values. We welcome everyone who arrives with respect and a vision for a common future.
In the past eleven years of our governance, three decisions have been taken that respect the European legal order and that are an unforgivable crime in a European space dominated by liberal media and politics. In 2011, we enshrined in the Basic Law that marriage is the relationship between a man and a woman, in 2015 we said no to mass immigration, and now Hungarians are also vaccinated with vaccines approved by our national authorities.
Some of these decisions (see marriage between a man and a woman) were once considered a sin, and other measures are fought against until a certain large member state chose the same path (see Russian vaccine) and others will remain unforgivable until the same large member state eventually owns up to its mistakes (see migration).
It has long been a well-known game for the left to hold the EPP accountable for its alleged violation of democracy and the rule of law. Weber inflicted a fatal wound on himself during his nomination. When cornered, he openly stated that he did not want to be president of the European Commission with Fidesz votes. His wish came true.
The obvious aim of the independent, renewed campaign against our country is to give the impression that Hungary is an isolated, backward country ruled by an oppressive regime. What a mistake.
Central European cooperation through the Visegrád Four is outstanding, the Hungarian prime minister will soon be the most experienced leader in the European Council, and now, after Fidesz left the European People’s Party, it became clear that most parties of the democratic right would be happy to cooperate with the Hungarian ruling party.
The house, inhabited by European Conservatives, has recently become increasingly empty, and its remaining inhabitants have barely dared to speak openly to each other. We are ready to bring this house to life again, open its doors to new thoughts and those who want to move in so that more and more people can experience how good it is to live here freely. In this way, we can create a political home for millions of Europeans, and it could also mean the rebirth of the European democratic right.
This is our ‘Willkommenskultur’ for Europe.
Title image: Katalin Novák’s article in Welt am Sonntag. (source: Facebook)
