Justice Minister Judit Varga has slammed the European Commission’s latest rule of law report, calling it a tool used to blackmail the country over its child protection law.
“We are not surprised: the latest report of the European Commission focuses on the Hungarian Law on Child Protection,” Minister Varga said in an English-language post on Facebook. “According to them, in Hungary right now, there is no rule of law precisely because we protect children’s and parents’ rights at the highest level.” The minister said the reason behind the EC’s criticism was that “we do not allow LGBTQ activists and any sexual propaganda into Hungarian schools and kindergartens.” Once again, the EC is worried about the state of Hungarian democracy, while Hungary is working to guarantee the most fundamental rights and protect not just its own constitution but also the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights, she said.
The minister said the “verdict” of the report had been pre-determined, arguing that instead of justification, objectivity and real professional work, it echoed the criticisms of NGOs that were “biased towards Hungary”. Minister Varga said the report was part of a campaign in which the rule of law was not a principle, but “a tool of extortion”.