According to Minister of State for international communication, the majority of Italians regard the firm stance taken by Hungarians as a model to be followed, and this is a result of the Hungarian government’s consistent policies in the past ten years.

The Minister of State, who spoke to the Hungarian news agency MTI on Tuesday after a roundtable discussion on Hungary organised in Rome, highlighted that also for Italians the issue of migration constitutes the central issue of the European parliamentary elections.

Mr Kovács said Hungarian electors themselves have contributed to the image of Hungarians by having elected a civic, centre-right government with a two-thirds majority three times in a row; a government which “clearly and firmly represents the principles which Hungarian electors entrusted to it”.

The Minister of State for international communication took the view that the same will will be enforced at the European parliamentary (EP) elections as well.

A survey prepared by the Italian research institute Piepoli specifically for the occasion – concluding that a large majority of Italians appreciate most the firmness of Hungarians – was introduced at the meeting entitled “Hungary: I say what I mean. Opinions of Italians about Hungary” organised by the Hungarian embassy in Rome.

Mr Kovács added that the Hungarian government’s actions against migration have also contributed to the development of this impression which can be traced not only in Italy. “If we take a look at Europe, we can see that the Hungarian government’s migration policy is the most consistent,” he stated, observing that it is completely evident also for the Italian people that the central issues of the EP elections will be migration and the stance we adopt in relation to migration. “This does not only mean defence against illegal migration and the protection of the borders; there is much more to this. If we can answer this question, through this we can find a solution to the rest of the challenges Europe has failed to respond to in the past twenty years,” Mr Kovács said.

He stressed that the Hungarian government believes in the effective cooperation of nation states, rather than in a United States of Europe which disregards the will of the citizens of nation states.

At the roundtable discussion several questions related to Hungary’s economic achievements. Mr Kovács said the Hungarian government has followed a pragmatic policy also in this department with family support, a nation strategy and the reduction of the country’s sovereign debt. “We never thought or said that we have a ready-made recipe, but we are happy to share our experiences from which everyone can learn at a European level,” he said.

Regarding possible alliances to be formed after the 26 May EP elections, Mr Kovács pointed out that “Fidesz’s position is perfectly clear: as long as there is hope to keep the European People’s Party (EPP) on the right track which rests on the foundations of Christian democratic principles, meaning that it views the European political tasks in hand from the viewpoint of the protection of European Christian culture and European borders, we will consider it worth our while to remain within and to cooperate with the EPP. Whether this will be the case or a significant portion of the EPP will shift towards an alliance with the Left, socialists and liberals will decide which path we will follow after 26 May,” the Minister of State said.

The roundtable discussion was attended, among others, by Armando Siri, State Secretary of the Italian government party Lega Nord, Enrico Aimi, a member of the Senate for the centre-right Forza Italia party, Adolfo Urso, another member of the Senate for Forza Italia, Livio, Gigliuto, Vice-President of Istituto Piepoli and Csaba Faragó, head of foreign affairs at the think tank Századvég Foundation, in the company of other Italian politicians, journalists, historians and experts.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)