EU Parliament ‘Sharply’ Criticises Orban for His Pro-Russian Stance

Members of the European Parliament discussed with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban his country's priorities during its six-month presidency of the EU Council, which began on 1 July.

This is reported on the website of the European Parliament.

The President of the European Commission criticised Hungary's position on Russia, expressing regret that ‘one EU member state’ is still trying to buy fossil fuels from Russia despite the EU's commitment to be energy independent.

‘There are still those who blame this war not on Putin's lust for power, but on Ukraine's lust for freedom, so I want to ask them: would they ever have blamed the Hungarians for the Soviet invasion in 1956?’ The Guardian quoted her as saying.

‘There is not a single European language where peace is synonymous with surrender and sovereignty is synonymous with occupation... This is not a defence of European sovereignty, it is a back door for foreign intervention,’ she added.  

On migration, she condemned Hungary's decision to release convicted smugglers and questioned its visa policy, in particular the invitation of Russian citizens to the EU without further checks, warning that this ‘makes Hungary a security threat not only for Hungary but for all member states’.

She called on Hungary to ‘serve the cause of European unity’ rather than move away from common values.

Most of the speakers in the parliament also criticised the Hungarian prime minister for his activities since the country's presidency of the EU Council, as well as for turning Hungary into a hybrid regime, undermining Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression, and cooperating with illiberal regimes in Moscow and Beijing.

Most speakers expressed their concern over the complete lack of respect for EU values demonstrated by the Hungarian prime minister and accused him of rampant corruption in Hungary.

Many MEPs expressed their solidarity with the Hungarian people, who suffer from the Hungarian government's restrictions on the independence of the judiciary, media and civil society. Some of them argued that it was a mistake to grant Hungary the rotating presidency and called for the suspension of its voting rights in the Council in accordance with the procedure provided for in Article 7.

In her opening remarks, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola noted that the Hungarian presidency comes at a time when the EU is taking ‘significant steps forward’, including ‘supporting Ukraine, strengthening European competitiveness and building a more stable, secure Europe’. She recalled that the Parliament is the home of democracy, ‘where the rule of law and freedom of expression are sacred’, and where ‘we may not always agree, but we will always provide a space for a respectful exchange of views’.