Ahead of the final decision on the European Union’s next budget framework, Justice Minister Judit Varga said it must be clarified that “Hungary has never fought against Europe, but for Europe”.
“Hungary has never fought against Europe, but for Europe and for the European future of our children and grandchildren,” she said on Facebook. Minister Varga said that during the extended negotiations on the EU budget, “some Member States and the domestic opposition included many issues in the figures”. “Hungary agrees with the founding fathers of the Union that Europe will be Christian and humanist or it will be nothing,” she said. The majority of Hungarians, and Europeans, clearly believe that “Europe should not give up its identity and the fundamental values that make Europe the most liveable continent in the world”, she said.
“At the time of its accession to the EU in 2004, Hungary did not say yes to a federalist Europe, or to globalism and especially not to the United States of Europe, but to a mutually supportive and respectful alliance based on strong nation-states,” Varga said. By joining the EU, Hungary did not give up that part of its national sovereignty “that decides who we want to live with in our own country”, she said. “We did not say yes to joining the EU so that Brussels could define for us what we consider a family, what we call marriage and who can adopt children in Hungary and under what conditions,” she said.
Minister Varga said it was not true that Hungary failed to demonstrate solidarity with other member states during the migration crisis. She said Hungary had spent hundreds of billions of forints to protect Europe’s borders and was trying to help people locally because Hungary believes that instead of importing problems to Europe, assistance should be brought to those in need. Minister Varga said it was not Hungary that “attacked” other member states for their migration policies but the other way round. She also said that contrary to the Hungarian opposition’s claims, EU support and cohesion funding were not charitable donations but payments that Hungary was entitled to based on the EU treaties.
“It is not Hungary blackmailing and putting pressure on Brussels in the EU budget negotiations, but it is Brussels blackmailing us,” she said. “Anyone who knows Hungarian history knows exactly that when it comes to the future of our children and grandchildren, the Hungarian people and Hungary makes no compromise, be it a war of independence or just a simple veto,” she added.