The European Commission’s country report released on Wednesday is a political and campaign report. Its main characteristic is that it only contains negative comments, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács stated at a press conference held in Brussels on Wednesday.
Regarding the findings of the European Semester 2018: Winter Package, the spokesperson raised the question: “Why is it that, in particular, at the time of campaigns and political turning points, the European Commission voices opinions which suggest that the glass is only half full at most?”
Mr Kovács said Hungary does not believe that the report reflects the results reported and disclosed to the public by the government, whether in the field of the economy, in the context of judicial reforms, or regarding measures adopted in connection with any other matter.
The Government Spokesperson took the view that this is happening for a reason: in the person of left-wing political candidate György Magyar’s son, Gábor Magyar there is an individual among the authors who evidently maintains ties with the Hungarian opposition. He said it gives rise to concern that at a time when there is an election campaign in a country, reports and proposals regarding the economy, the care system or the country’s other responsibilities should be conceived by people who have obvious connections with the political opposition. Under such circumstances, one can rule out an impartial and objective verdict; from here on the Commission’s country-specific report is a political and campaign report, he stressed.
The government spokesperson said it is regrettable that the European Commission is becoming a political body, despite the fact that this is not its mission.
Mr Kovács highlighted in answer to a question concerning the Hungarian government’s objections to claims made in the report that if it is up to the European Commission and other EU institutions, taxes will have to be raised in Hungary. It is well worth considering: if this is a report of a political nature which makes mention of this element, should the opposition win the elections, we can expect tax increases beyond doubt, he added.
The government spokesperson pointed out that while the Commission’s position on a number of issues had been “toned down”, the findings regarding the reform of the judicial system or the issue of Roma integration indicate that Brussels seeks to “reactivate” former issues in its report. These opinions were conceived after Hungary had already stated its case in closed legal dialogues and settled disputes. The repeated dragging up of these issues likewise serves nothing but political purposes, Mr Kovács underlined.