Hungary's minister of Justice said people in western Europe accuse Hungary of breaching judicial independence because it represents a different stance on the issue of migration and border protection.
During an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro, Minister László Trócsányi said the fundamental subject of dispute between the Hungarian government and those who are making accusations against it is the idea of an “open society”, which is “a political model that promotes multiculturalism and open borders, and which places the protection of the individual above everything else”.
“We also insist on individual civil liberties, but other factors must also count, including the public interest, public order, national sovereignty and cultural identity," he said.
“In Central Europe, we have a different vision from that of Western Europe as a result of our history. We did not experience the phenomenon of colonialism, and we also didn’t experience mass immigration," he added.
He explained that Central Europe is also tentative with relation to multiculturalism because from its perspective it isn’t working particularly well in Western Europe.
“From our perspective, this is an issue that affects our homeland’s national sovereignty and constitutional identity," he said. He added that in Hungary, “where Christian roots are important”, it “has certain fears” with relation to the cohabitation of Christianity and Islam, and the feeling is that “Europe wants to sweep its roots under the carpet because of multiculturalism”, despite the fact that those are also part of Europe’s cultural heritage.
“With relation to the quota mechanism, European institutions and the states of Western Europe are emphasizing solidarity, while the Visegrád Group is placing emphasis on the principle of security," he added.