Antonio Tajani, deputy head of the European People's Party (EPP), has called it a "political mistake" that the EPP membership of Hungary's ruling Fidesz party had been called into question.
The Forza Italia party member said that Fidesz had played a major role in getting the EPP’s Ursula von der Leyen elected president of the European Commission. Tajani added that he was convinced the EPP should not be without a representative from such an important country as Hungary.
“It is natural to have differences in opinion, nobody is infallible, but I believe it would be a political mistake not to make efforts to keep Fidesz within the people’s party family. I am on the side of common sense. Finding a solution is a general interest for Europe’s stability and the EPP. I believe it will also be useful for Hungary if Fidesz stays an EPP member, especially after Brexit,” he said.
Tajani added that Fidesz’s European lawmakers had always been loyal and did a fair job both in the Brussels institutions and the Strasbourg parliament. “One can disagree with some developments in Hungary, such as the [Central European] University, but let me emphasize that Fidesz has always voted in unison with the EPP in Brussels and Strasbourg,” he said.
Photo credit: Politico