‘The wrong migration policy of the EU leadership is destabilising the societies of Western Europe. This jeopardises the EU as a whole,’ said Parliament President László Kövér at the 72nd plenary session of COSAC in Budapest.
Addressing the delegations of the EU Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC), the Fidesz politician described it as the foremost task of every politician who loves their homeland and Europe to avert these dangers and to preserve the EU as a community of values and interests in accordance with the will of its founders. Kövér recalled the 13-year period since the first Hungarian Council Presidency, which brought about a series of crises, from the migration crisis and the coronavirus pandemic to the war in Ukraine, which harbours the threat of a third world war.
War, dictatorship and impoverishment?
This is accompanied by the danger that Europe will no longer stand for peace, democracy and prosperity, but that war, dictatorship and impoverishment will spread. Brussels’ misguided sanctions policy ensured that the GDP of the EU-27 was only able to grow by 0.2% last year, compared to 3.6% in Russia. Electricity is now 2-3 times more expensive in the EU and natural gas 4-5 times more expensive than in the USA. This is hitting the globally competitive industry hard.
Target missed
Hungary’s parliamentary president reminded the delegations of the Treaty of Lisbon, which came into force 15 years ago. Among the reforms introduced at the time was the goal of strengthening the role of national parliaments in EU decision-making. This goal was missed, which Kövér attributes primarily to the illegitimate policy of the EU Commission, which is trying to wrest more and more powers from the member states. At the same time, in the case of the ‘Minority Safe Pack’, the initiative for more diversity in Europe, which is also supported by the European Parliament, this EU Commission has not lifted a finger to mould the many detailed proposals in the interests of more than 40 million members of national minorities into legal norms. ‘This is about equal rights for EU voters and taxpayers,’ the Hungarian stated.
Honest debates instead of marginalisation
When dealing with demographic challenges, Kövér recalled the fundamental responsibility of the member states, but said that it was perfectly legitimate to deal with these problems at EU level. The solution, however, was not to stimulate immigration, but rather to increase the willingness of European families to raise children. Hungary contributes to this with efficient border protection and a stop to illegal migration, as this underpins the stability of the EU as a whole.
The fact that Hungary is relying on a strong EU based on the cooperation of strong member states is not at all contradictory to seeking common answers to common European challenges. However, this requires open, honest and democratic debates, not the marginalisation of those who think differently. In his speech in the parliament building, Kövér emphasised that Hungary, in the spirit of EU founding father Robert Schuman, shows this respect to everyone, but expects the same respect from the other side.
