President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament that Hungary not comply with EU commitments. The data says differently, writes Mandiner.
The portal claims the EU commission head merely repeated Hungarian opposition propaganda, especially when saying Hungary is the only EU member state that is still looking for alternative solutions to the purchase of “dirty Russian fossil fuels.” She also said Hungary has the lowest GDP per capita among the neighboring countries.
Despite talking about the EU regaining its competitiveness, von der Leyen did not mention the focus of the Hungarian EU presidency, which is exactly this.
The data from the EU’s own statistical office goes against what the EC president is claiming, states Mandiner. According to Eurostat, in addition to Hungary, the following countries continue to import Russian crude oil and crude oil derivatives: Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Netherlands, Latvia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Latvia. Plus, Italy, which had not purchased Russian energy for several years, did so again this past summer.
France should not be left off this list either. Remix News reported in April that at the same time Macron was talking about the urgent need to send troops to Ukraine to fight Russia, his country was fueling Outin’s war machine by purchasing €600 million worth of natural gas from Moscow in the first three months of 2024.
Related article: Macron first threatens Russia with troops, then purchases €600 million worth of gas from Moscow in first three months of 2024
Not only have crude oil shipments into Hungary decreased since 2022, but Hungarian imports are almost the same as those of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, European Union imports of Russian petroleum and petroleum derivatives are still significant.
Von der Leyen further failed to note that those member states that do not have alternative procurement options are temporarily exempted from complying with the sanctions imposed on Moscow.
Hungary is also not in last place in terms of GDP per capita for the region: Bulgaria, Greece, Latvia, Slovakia, and Croatia all fall behind Hungary, while Romania’s data is disputed by several international forums.
Security policy expert Attila Demkó posted on Facebook responding to von der Leyen’s claims, saying that she “is pushing Hungarian domestic political propaganda, in such a way that the materials of the commission itself are immediately available to refute it – unbelievable, even blood-curdling.”
Demkó added: “She CANNOT do this, and it is not in the interests of the EU for the president of the Commission to openly repeat a lie for domestic political purposes.”
