Tamás Deutsch, the head of Fidesz’s EP delegation, said Hungarian and European leftists are working to strip Hungary of “every penny” of European Union support.
MEP Deutsch told Hungarian journalists after the EP plenary debate on the evaluation of the Hungarian measures aimed at accessing the recovery fund and other EU monies, that the European Left, “driven by a feeling of superiority, is threatening and trying to punish everyone, not in agreement with them.” Deutsch slammed opposition MEPs as “foreign-funded” representatives whose goal is “that Hungary doesn’t get a single penny from the EU”. The debate reinforced previous experiences, he said: “When a patriotic, nationalist, Christian Democrat government with conservative values receives a mandate … of the people, that is seen as incompatible with the rule of law. The European left is the greatest danger to democratic values and to European cooperation.” Still, chances are high that the European Commission and Hungary will strike a deal on unlocking the country’s EU funds, he said, adding that the funds have been held back for “political reasons”. In the next few weeks, decisions may be made in Brussels allowing Hungary to access the funding that is owed to it by law, Deutsch said.
Meanwhile, Fidesz MEP Balázs Hidvéghi said leftist MEPs wanted to thwart an agreement between the European Commission and Hungary. “They don’t want Hungarian people to access the funds.” Leftist MEPs are attacking Hungary because it has a Christian, conservative government protecting its values and independence, he said. At the same time, the government and the EC had conducted a successful, productive round of talks, and a deal was “basically ready”, he said. Hungary’s parliament has adopted amendments to create a framework for the agreement, he said. Hopefully, the agreement will “be a stable foundation for the disbursement of the funds from next year,” he said.