P

Prime Minister Orbán responds to Manfred Weber: 'The truth, dear Manfred, is completely the opposite'

EPP group leader Manfred Weber stated in an online press conference on December 3 that the notorious rule of law mechanism, designed to force Member States into altering their stance on key policy areas, is not being set up expressly against Hungary and Poland. According to PM Orbán, however, the truth is completely the opposite. The following is the official, English language transcript of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's response to Weber.

The mainstream, European media excludes, neglects and suppresses those ideas that do not conform to the worldview for which they labor day in and day out. They will remain silent about this, too. That’s nothing new, however, to us Central Europeans. In fact, this is why we invented samizdat. The clandestine press. Write, print, read, share! Sam izdat: about us, for us.

Manfred Weber stated in an online press event on December 3rd to correspondents accredited to Germany that the notorious rule of law mechanism is not being set up expressly against Hungary and Poland. He added that his goal is to depoliticize rule of law questions and remove them from political party debates.

The truth, however, is completely the opposite, as the following statements prove.

European Commission:

Jourová: Orbán is building a sick democracy.

Reynders: There are rule of law crises in some Member States, particularly in Hungary and Poland.

Timmermans: Free press in Hungary is virtually non-existent.

Dalli: This mechanism is a means for making Member States fall in line.

European Parliament

Vice-President Barley: Hungary and Poland must be starved out.

Verhofstadt: There is no need to prove whether the functioning of Hungary and Poland is in line with the system that’s about to be established. This has already been proven. It must be put into action immediately.

Governments

Maas: Finally, we will have a mechanism that is going to be very painful for Hungary and Poland.

Asselborn: This cancerous tumor must be removed. Hungary is a dictatorship like Belarus.

The situation is clear, dear Manfred: You want to alter the current legal status in order to create a mechanism that you immediately turn against Hungary and Poland. In light of the statements by the European Commission, European Parliament and national governments, you can no longer deny this. Now, you want us, Hungarians to give our consent.

Over the course of history, Germans have asked for many things from us, Hungarians. Yet, you are the first ones to consider us Panscher. That we are not.