Justice Minister Judit Varga said the mood of recession caused by the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis enables the debate on the future of Europe to turn towards real problems.
Speaking at the 31st Bálványos Summer University in Băile Tușnad (Tusnádfürdő), in central Romania, on Thursday, the minister told a panel discussion held with Hunor Kelemen, deputy prime minister of Romania, that it had been a good initiative to start a debate about the renewal of the EU. However, there was a lack of genuine willingness to ask the opinions of EU citizens, but instead, Brussels bureaucrats wanted to force their ideas on the people. But the emerging crisis has “knocked on the window”, she said. The current mood of recession enables the debate on the future of Europe to turn towards real problems affecting people, she added, citing the mutual recognition of university degrees as an example.
“When we talk about war and peace, or about whether we have heating or not, then perhaps we will get the opportunity to sit at the negotiating table,” she said. If Hungary ever expresses strong opinions about the future of the EU, they are motivated by concern and the guiding principle that “I am upset for you and not at you”. “Were the entire EU institutional system about to collapse, the Hungarians would be there to hold the last beam,” she added. Varga criticised the European Commission’s “concealed attempts to expand their powers”, saying that the treaties should be expanded to precisely define what areas belong to a national sphere of authority and what areas are under shared authority. The minister cited proposals to get rid of unanimous voting in some areas and have transnational electoral lists in European parliamentary elections as the two main sources of danger in terms of amending the treaties.
Photo credit: MTI