As a reaction to the interview of Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann given to German daily Die Welt, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó told Hungarian News Agency MTI that it would be unacceptable if EU funds – Hungary rightfully receives and is entitled to – would be taken away as revenge due to the disagreement on the management of the migration crisis.
In the interview, the Chancellor highlighted: “solidarity is not a one way street” and if a country receives more money from the EU budget than it pays in it, “hiding” is not an option when the "equal distribution" refugees is in question.
Those who are still reluctant to "put a question mark" to the financing of the EU budget, "make it very difficult for net contributors – including Austria – to continue paying so much money" into the common budget, he added. However, there is already a decision made on the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework, the Chancellor said: the framework will be reviewed next year and then we will "examine very carefully" which member states isolated themselves from solidarity in the "the refugee issue”.
Regarding the statement, Mr. Szijjártó said: “if there is a standpoint opposing common European values and rules, then this certainly is one.” The Austrian Chancellor misunderstands the situation: EU funds are not “charity funds or humanitarian aids”; Member States are entitled to them, including Central Europeans, he explained.
He recalled that Hungary opened its market for international – mainly Western European - economic players, who may have gained huge profits as a result. Therefore, older EU Member States have as many benefits from the membership of Central European countries, as the countries themselves, he pointed out.