The Tuesday edition of the conservative German newspaper Die Welt published an interview with Gergely Gulyás, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office under the title “We would also cooperate with the Greens and Liberals”.
Regarding the government parties’ result in the European parliamentary elections, Fidesz’s politician said “we won as convincingly as we did because the country has developed convincingly,” the people are better-off today, and “this is the most important”.
In response to the suggestion that immigration policy was in the focus of the campaign, he highlighted that “the two issues are intrinsically linked, the Hungarian people are aware of what they stand to lose if we fail to stop migration”.
He added that their migration policy – which rejects illegal immigration – was absolutely clear already in 2015, and he hopes that even those parties of the European People’s Party (EPP) have since come to share a similar view who did not see the issue in the same light back in 2015.
He also said that the majority of the EPP’s member parties are opposed to illegal migration, and agree that countries should be able to decide independently whether they want legal migration or not.
This is in agreement with the position of the Hungarian government parties, Mr Gulyás added, highlighting that “we are tolerant; all we say is that while refugee policy falls within the EU’s responsibilities, migration policy falls within Member State competence”.
In answer to a question regarding Hungary’s accession to the Eurozone, he pointed out that when the country joined the European Union (EU) in 2004, it agreed to introduce the euro. The question is when this introduction is to take place. According to economists, the introduction of the euro is advantageous for an EU Member State if its gross domestic product (GDP) has reached 90 per cent of the EU average, the Minister said, observing that in his view this could be achieved within ten years.
Concerning Manfred Weber, the EPP’s lead candidate in the EP elections, he said that the politician of the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria “did not want us to support him,” and “we can oblige him”. He added that the EPP has a number of experienced politicians – who “also have governmental experience” – who would be prepared to lead the European Commission. He said the reason why he is not mentioning names is that he does not want to spoil their chances.
He observed that it is also in Manfred Weber’s best interest that another EPP politician should be found in his place because it became clear at the EU summit held after the EP elections that the European Council – consisting of the heads of state and government of Member States – does not support a single lead candidate, Mr Weber included, with a majority that is necessary for nomination for the position of President of the Commission.
Regarding the balance of power in the new European Parliament, he said it is true indeed that the elections “did not bring about an earthquake, but we have very strong conservative representation in the EPP and in the Parliament,” and those conservative governments did best which were criticised the most. The Hungarian government parties, the Polish Law and Justice Party (PiS), Matteo Salvini in Italy and the People’s Party of Austria (ÖVP) in Austria; they are “the four great winners of the elections,” he said.
He added that there are, naturally, issues on which “we are able to cooperate with the social democrats, the Greens and the Liberals,” and “as part of the EPP group, we have often voted together with other groups also to date”. However, “we do not want permanent cooperation with them, and take the view that there are a number of important forces also right of the EPP which are not extremist at all”.
“It is worth cooperating with them, too,” Mr Gulyás said.
He highlighted that he rejects a coalition, or permanent cooperation with the social democrats, Greens and Liberals because it would only further add to the losses of the EPP which sustained a loss of 40 mandates in the elections if “it increasingly gave up its Christian democratic profile”.
Regarding administrative courts, he said, among others, that they do not want the dispute with the European Commission on the judiciary – which was brought to a conclusion in 2012 – to flare up again because this “could potentially lead to negative consequences”.
In answer to the question as to whether they have taken this step with a view to maintaining their EPP membership, he said this was not the reason for the decision, “but it may well turn out that it will be easier for the EPP to keep us inside this way”.
Mr Gulyás said in response to the question as to whether they have already decided whether they wish to maintain their EPP membership that, in his view, for Fidesz it is better to stay within the EPP, “and it is equally best for the EPP to keep us in”.
He added that they had received many requests to stay within the party family, including requests from Germany.
Regarding Hungarian-German relations, he said he would not describe relations as bad, though “they have been better, and could be better”. There is “a historical friendship and excellent economic cooperation” between the two countries, and there is good cooperation also at a governmental level. It is a problem, however, at the level of party politics that in the German media and public discourse “one cannot say a good word about Hungary and its government,” Mr Gulyás said.