The Hungarian government has vetoed the European Union’s budget package in line with its position communicated during the summit this July, and in accordance with the power of veto laid down in the EU treaties, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister said that “those who protect their borders and their countries from migration are no longer considered by Brussels to be rule-governed states,” adding that once the current proposal tying the rule of law to funding was adopted, funding would be “tied to support for migration” and used to “blackmail” countries that oppose it.
Throughout the debate, Orbán added, Hungary had maintained a policy of “loyal cooperation, predictability and transparency”, while always remaining open to compromise, even though Hungary never considered raising joint loans as an adequate solution. “We only accepted the compromise in July out of dedication to European solidarity and because of our willingness to offer help so that fellow member states in financial need could secure the necessary funds as quickly as possible.”
The prime minister insisted that Hungary was a “dedicated adherent” to the rule of law, noting that Hungary’s current leadership had once fought for democracy in the face of the communist dictatorship.
Orbán said that in the course of debates on migration in recent years, the rule of law had been weaponised politically. Without objective criteria and the possibility of legal remedy, no procedure that aims to penalise member states should be based on it, he added.
“In our view, tying economic and financial issues to political debates would be a grave mistake, one that would undermine European unity. Any new procedure aimed at penalising member states should only be introduced through the unanimous amendment of the Treaties. We request that fellow member states adhere to this requirement,” he said.
featured photo: Vivien Cher Benko/MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda
