Justice Minister László Trócsányi has said Hungary does not want to become like western Europe.
During an interview with German conservative daily Die Welt, the minister commented on the Article 7 procedure initiated at the European Parliament in the wake of a report by Dutch green MEP Judith Sargentini, and said it only served to divide and weaken Europe.
In response to the charge that it was the Hungarian government that weakened European values, the minster said “our world view is different: we emphasize social cohesion, historic roots, our culture and national identity.” Certain words and notions in the West have a different meaning in Hungary, he added.
The minister pointed out that equality in the West means that everybody has the right to get married, whereas in Hungary marriage must be between a man and a woman.
He stated that freedom in the West means “the unlimited freedom of individuals”, in Hungary “we believe that freedom also carries responsibilities with it.”
Commenting on the Sargentini Report’s remarks concerning the judiciary, he said the document contained “shallow, generalizing judgements” and its assessment of the constitutional court was “ridiculous”.