Negotiations with the European Commission regarding the disbursement of money owed to Hungary are showing promising progress, Hungarian Minister of Justice Judit Varga said in Brussels on Tuesday.
Speaking to Hungarian journalists after the meeting of the EU member states’ ministers in charge of EU affairs, Varga said that while the European Parliament exerts political pressure on Hungary, both the member states and the European Commission are looking for a solution within the framework of the rule of law procedure.
“The European Parliament is an ideologically based institution and operates on the basis of a political majority. As long as the parliament has a left-liberal majority, it will always have a condemning opinion of Hungary,” Varga said. “The European Parliament should deal with the real problems of European citizens, solving everyday challenges, instead of conducting a witch hunt against certain countries,” she added.
In relation to domestic opinions criticizing the measures of the Hungarian government, according to which the Hungarian legislative drafts would not be sufficient to allay EU concerns, the Hungarian justice minister said “it is a Hungarian leftist tradition that they do not represent Hungary’s interests abroad.”
“In such a situation, there is no national minimum on the part of the left; their representatives are not willing to cooperate in the protection of the Hungarian people,” she said.
Regarding EU-level decisions requiring unanimity voting, Varga said that the EU treaties are not about the veto, but at the same time focus on the culture of consensus. She said it was important for countries the size of Hungary to have a final refuge that ensures the enforcement of the most basic national interests.
“The power of European decision-making lies in consensus. In the case of consensus, a decision can be made that everyone can wholeheartedly support,” Varga added.
