“No decision can be made with the circumvention of the Visegrád Group (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, the V4)”, State Secretary for International Communication and Relations Zoltán Kovács said on Hungarian M1 television’s Monday evening current affairs program.

The marathon EU summit was suspended on Monday; no decision was made with relation to the candidate for the post of European Commission President.

According to Mr. Kovács, we are witnessing the fact that the top candidate (Spitzencandidat) system has failed. “The solidarity of the V4 is offering a new alternative”, the State Secretary said.

“In every leading position, we need a candidate who accepts the idea of a Europe of nations, respects the sovereignty of member states, is clearly against the managing of migration, and who regards the protection of the traditions of Christian Europe as important”, he explained. According to the State Secretary, neither the People’s Party candidate, Manfred Weber, nor the socialist Frans Timmermans conform to this.

“In addition to the V4, Italy, and according to evening news reports a further 10-11 countries are now against the candidacy of Frans Timmermans”, he stated.

“We need someone who brings the member states of Europe together into a union, not one who divides them”, Mr. Kovács highlighted. With relation to this, he said Frans Timmermans had “lied his way through the whole election campaign”, while Manfred Weber had insulted several member states, including Hungary. “Unity cannot be established with people such as this”, he pointed out.

According to the State Secretary, it is possible to find a candidate who personifies solidarity. He did not wish to talk about candidates and concrete names, however.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)