I Have No Mandate to Indebt Hungary Through an EU Loan, Says Viktor Orbán

PM Viktor Orbán in Brussels

“The issue of frozen Russian assets is dead,” declared the Hungarian Prime Minister on Thursday in Brussels upon his arrival at the EU summit, emphasizing that it is not war that should be financed, but peace.

Viktor Orbán said that last night he saw that there were already enough opposing countries to form a blocking minority.

They may try again, but there is no chance of a majority. I think this is off the agenda, although there may still be some rearguard actions. The whole issue will have to be renegotiated,”

he said.

When asked whether he could support a joint EU loan in which Hungary would have no financial responsibility, he said that it is not yet known what other proposals will be put forward “instead of frozen assets.”

However, he emphasized that there is a section in the Hungarian constitution that states that the Hungarian government can only agree to loans that create payment obligations for Hungary with parliamentary authorization.

“I do not have such authorization, and I do not believe that any prime minister in Hungary will ever receive authorization from parliament to indebt Hungary through a European Union loan,” he noted.

“Thus for Hungary, the path of financing Ukraine with a joint loan is not viable under any circumstances, but beyond the legal constraints, I would not agree with it either, because I believe that it is not war that should be financed, but peace,” he emphasized.

He highlighted

that the plan to seize the assets of one of the warring parties and give them to the other warring party is nothing less than a declaration of war. We must not intervene in this war, we must stay out of it and work for peace.

“I do not want to see a European Union that is at war. If we give money, the European Union will be at war,” the Prime Minister warned.

Commenting on Wednesday’s decision by the European Parliament, Viktor Orbán said that the resolution prohibiting the use of Russian gas and oil by all member states is unlawful. For Hungary, this means that if this happens, utility costs cannot be protected, he pointed out, adding that in this case, families’ utility costs will increase at least two- to threefold.

According to the prime minister’s assessment, “it was a very big battle” on Wednesday. “Our Fidesz-KDNP representatives stood up for Hungary and fought for Hungary, but unfortunately the others did not. Tisza (main opposition party in Hungary- editor’s note) simply skipped out, choosing the solution of not even being here,” he recalled.

Via MTI; Featured photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Főosztály/Fischer Zoltán

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