"Brussels is not our boss," Hungary’s PM said in Vienna, where he urged the EU to change its strategy and seek peace.Continue reading
According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, European unity is not something the Member States follow, this is rather something that they themselves are creating.
Viktor Orbán expressed his opinion about the EU’s joint decision-making in a Facebook post on Monday. The Prime Minister cited an answer he gave to a journalist at their joint press conference with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Vienna last Thursday.
At the press conference, Orbán was asked about European Union sanctions against Russia and whether Hungary was “following European unity.” The Prime Minister explained that it is not the Member States that are “following” European unity, but they themselves that are creating it:
“The European Union is not in Brussels. The European Union is in Vienna, Budapest and Warsaw, Berlin and Madrid.”
Orbán wrote in his Facebook post – and said at the press conference – that he does not want to “fiddle” with other Member States when there is a debate about sanctions, for example, but wants to “contribute our own views to a common European decision.” “That is why we are involved in every decision; we always give our opinion. And if a position comes up that we do not agree with, we will make it clear,” he explained. He further stressed:
“Brussels is not our boss. We are an independent sovereign Hungarian nation.”
“We participate in joint decisions. If they are not good for us, we say so. If they are not good and we can prevent it, the joint decision will not be made,” he added.
Featured photo via the European Council