The European Commission should cease its rule of law proceedings against Hungary over Hungary’s defense of the EU’s common border, Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga said after meeting EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders in Budapest.
Varga reiterated her country’s demand that the EU should have been obliged to finance the costs of the Hungarian border fence and to reimburse the related expenses. Furthermore, it would be appropriate to close the infringement proceedings initiated against Hungary for the management of migration, as they were initiated due to measures that protect not only the borders of Hungary, but also the borders of the whole of Europe from illegal immigration, Varga emphasized. Meanwhile, the only effective way to protect the border seems to be the fence, she added.
Hungary will always be a partner of the European Commission in diplomatic and legal dialogue, Varga said after the meeting. She noted that the Polish and Hungarian governments already vetoed the General Affairs Council’s decision to draw up rule-of-law reports. There is no legal basis for such a procedure in the EU treaties, the minister said, adding that no action could result from the reports due to the lack of a legal basis.
Varga emphasized that the reports about Hungary are based on the views of government-critical, biased NGOs and are the most drastic examples of double standards. In the European Union, there can only be a constitutional dialogue between mutually respectful nations, she said. In connection with the Child Protection Act, the minister stated that in Hungary the parents will determine the direction of their child’s upbringing, and the related legislation is a matter for the member states.
After the meeting, the minister wrote in a Facebook post that it was time for Brussels to end its campaign over the child protection law.
“No one can have a say in how Hungarian parents raise their children. Like other sexual propaganda, the LGBTQ lobby is not allowed in schools,” she stressed.
