Alexandra Szentkirályi, Fidesz's group leader in the Budapest city assembly, has asked the city's mayor to sanction Kinga Kollár, who is both a municipal representative and MEP of the opposition Tisza Party, under rules which ban local government representatives from activity that could undermine the public trust required to carry out their duties, arguing that Kollar had acted against Hungary's interests in Brussels.
In her speech before the start of the assembly's business on Wednesday, Szentkirályi insisted that Kollar had forfeited the right to her mandate, saying she had "acted against the interests of the people of Budapest and the Hungarian people", and had lost the trust of the public.
The Fidesz politician said Kollár had "expressed shame" for being Hungarian and had openly declared in an EP committee meeting that the conditionality procedure under which 21 billion euros of EU funding has been withheld was "a very effective tool" of blackmail against Hungary.
Szentkirályi said that Tisza's representatives in the capital had openly admitted to holding the view that they benefitted politically "if things are bad for the Hungarian people".
Szentkirályi said local government representatives had a duty to represent the interests of the community, adding that "a person working in Brussels" who lobbied against her country with a view to denying funding for Hungarian frontline services such as hospitals had no right to a political position.
Szentkirályi then submitted the motion to the mayor, requesting the launch of a procedure against Kollar under the Local Government Act.
In response, Dorottya Keszthelyi of the Democratic Coalition said that central government officials who were effectively blocking EU development funds "should be ashamed of themselves".
Meanwhile, Dávid Vitézy, the leader of the Podmaniczky Movement grouping, noted that the EU budget period until 2027 began 52 months ago, yet Budapest "has not yet received a single forint from the funds". He urged the assembly to invest in planning from its own resources, arguing that Hungary would regain access to EU funds and the city would be under huge pressure to tap the funds by the funding deadlines.
He insisted that the government was "blocking EU funds that have already been released by the European Commission".
"Budapest has not received any funds for many years now," said Vitezy, turning to Szentkirályi "to take action to ensure that the government releases these funds".
Regarding the Rakosrendezo area of the city, where future property investments depend on clearing dumped waste, he said, he noted that the mayor, Gergely Karacsony, had contacted construction and transport minister Janos Lazar more than sixty days ago to start negotiations on its development, but to no avail.
At the start of the session, representatives commemorated Pope Francis with a minute's silence at the behest of Bela Radics of the Fidesz-Christian Democrats.