“The European Union is making a political judgment on the Roman government’s budget”, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács declared in an interview published in Italian daily Libero on Thursday.
Mr. Kovács said the Hungarian Government rarely comments on decisions relating to other member states, but “it seems obvious that with relation to the Italian budget, the EU should have kept to a technical, procedural evaluation, but instead has issued a political opinion”.
The Hungarian Government Spokesperson said his impression isn’t that Italy is challenging the EU; “it is simply protecting its own rights and interests”.
The Italian right-wing daily, which is headed by Italian press authority Vittorio Feltri, interviewed Mr. Kovács during his visit to Italy at the same time that the European Commission announced that it will be launching an excessive deficit procedure against Rome because of the Italian Government’s draft budget.
“The regulations must be equal for all member states, but Italy and Hungary are being sanctioned, while if they break these rules France and Germany are not”, Mr. Kovács said. He declared that the community regulations must be changed to enable their fulfilment, adding that Italy can develop a suitable budget without exceeding the requirements. The Government Spokesperson stressed that had Hungary joined the eurozone, it would not have been able to realise the economic results it has achieved today. Hungary will join the euro “when we are ready, when there are new regulations, and when we receive guarantees”, he declared.
Mr. Kovács noted that Brussels is also considering a procedure against Hungary because of the country’s migration policy, which is based on closing its border, but “in this case, we are talking about an intervention that is not included in the EU’s sphere of competence”. “Hungary is doing the right thing, and accordingly hopes that the EU will refrain from introducing possible sanctions”, the Government Spokesperson declared.
Mr. Kovács called the anti-democratic accusations against the Hungarian Government ridiculous. He stressed that Viktor Orbán’s government enjoys a two-thirds majority, while the popularity of Merkel and Macron, who are the true leaders of Europe, has fallen to a minimum. “Perhaps it is Europe that has problems with democracy”, Mr. Kovács noted, adding that those who are exercising power in Brussels were also not elected by anyone. “It is unacceptable that there exist first- and second-rate countries in Europe, and that the Eastern and Central European member states are classified among the latter”, he said.
“The European Parliament elections in May will bring a turning-point, and the situation will change”, he declared.
Mr. Kovács predicted an election defeat for the Party of European Socialists (PES) and the liberals. “The left-wing elite and the liberals cannot provide answers to the questions posed by EU citizens”, he declared. He also stated that the European People’s Party and the various sovereigntist parties are working on an alliance.
“We would like a Europe that is diverse in a way that respects the autonomy and identity of states. The nations of Europe have served as a lighthouse for peoples for centuries, but the EU’s globalisation policy has created a crisis”, Mr. Kovács declared.