Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said the Hungarian government vetoed the EU's budget package in line with its position communicated during the summit this July, and in accordance with the power of veto laid down in the EU treaties.
“Those who protect their borders and their countries from migration are no longer considered by Brussels to be rule-governed states,” PM Orbán said, adding that once the current proposal tying the rule of law to funding was adopted, funding would be “tied to support for migration” and used to “blackmail” countries that oppose it. Throughout the debate, he said, Hungary had maintained a policy of “loyal cooperation, predictability and transparency”, while always remaining open to compromise, even though Hungary never considered raising joint loans as an adequate solution.
The prime minister insisted that Hungary was a “dedicated adherent” to the rule of law, noting that Hungary’s current leadership had once fought for democracy in the face of the communist dictatorship. “In our view, tying economic and financial issues to political debates would be a grave mistake, one that would undermine European unity. Any new procedure aimed at penalising member states should only be introduced through the unanimous amendment of the Treaties. We request that fellow member states adhere to this requirement,” he said.