The following is a courtesy translation of László Kövér's letter.
Dear President Arib,
With the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, the role of the Parliaments of the Member States has increased significantly in the European decision-making process. Despite the different constitutional traditions, the Hungarian Government, as like the Dutch, is responsible to the Parliament; its mandate derives from the Parliament, and the Parliament can present guidelines in affairs of the European Union.
The current EU summit is key to the future of the Union. Several Member States are in need of help because of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and we cannot deny solidarity with them simply because neither the Netherlands nor Hungary is among the countries most affected by the economic crisis. However, the mandate given to our governments by the Hungarian and Dutch parliaments is incompatible. Therefore, the current agreement is subject to conditions that the Hungarian Prime Minister must veto based on the mandate given to him by the National Assembly; and, vice versa, the Dutch Prime Minister has to do the same. In this situation, I would like to express the openness of the Hungarian Parliament to a dialogue between our parliaments. The planned trip of the Dutch representatives to Hungary and the rescheduling of my postponed visit to The Hague due to the coronavirus pandemic may offer an excellent opportunity for this.
Mrs. President, I ask for your cooperation, with the common goal of working together in order to help those EU Member States most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. I hope that in the current difficult situation, we can also help to find a way to a stronger Europe.
Yours sincerely,
László Kövér
The following is the official, Hungarian language text of the letter.
