Hungary fully supports and itself realises European solidarity, Justice Minister Judit Varga stated at a conference held in Salzburg on Monday as part of a panel discussion entitled “Europe, coronavirus and democracy: threats and opportunities” where one of the questions was whether there was enough solidarity among EU Member States.

Regarding the fact that due to the disease control regulations, people’s freedom must be inevitably restricted, moderator Christoph Takacs, the Austrian public service media ORF’s Salzburg director observed that in this Hungary always arouses Europe’s interest, and many believe that the Hungarian government used the disease control restrictions, too, for the purpose of curtailing democracy.

He asked Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga, who attended the conference via a video link, not in person, what in her view the reason was for this impression, whether there is any reason at all, or for some reason people are just cross with Hungary.

In response, Ms. Varga stated that claims published in mainstream media about Hungary are not necessarily true. She recalled some of the accusations levelled at Hungary in recent months, including those which assert that the government used the disease control state of danger for the further curtailment of democracy.

She said those who live in Hungary at least for a while and experience the real situation first-hand are able to ascertain that the very opposite is true; for instance, that all democratic institutions remained fully operational throughout, while another good way to appreciate the actual situation is by reading the laws and decrees adopted by the government and Parliament. From among the accusations levelled at Hungary, she made specific mention of the fact that in an interview given to the German magazine Der Spiegel the other day, Vice-President of the European Commission Vera Jourová said that democracy in Hungary is sick.

Ms. Varga said the government finds this statement unacceptable, in particular from the Vice-President of the Commission who is responsible, among others, for dialogue within the EU because in Budapest’s opinion she is the very person who creates an air of uncertainty and distrust among Member States with statements like this. Due to this, after a meeting with the Prime Minister held on Monday morning, we suggested that Ms. Jourová should resign her position, she added.

In connection with the fight against the epidemic in Europe, Ms. Varga said EU institutions started taking action late, while Member States sooner, and then European institutions found their job in the coordination of the measures adopted by Member states. Hungary took part in European solidarity by having forged cooperation with neighbouring countries, in particular, in the area of health care equipment supplies, but most other Member States also followed suit, she said.

Regarding solidarity within the EU, she said Hungary fully agrees that European countries must show one another solidarity; in her view, the country has proved this in a number of areas, and in fact, according to Budapest, solidarity is the most important element in the solution of the problems facing the EU. This is also true of other areas; for instance, Budapest would like the EU to have a common defence policy, she observed.

Karoline Edtstadler, Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery pointed out regarding Europe’s fight against the virus that the first steps indeed had to be taken by Member States within their own sphere of responsibility, but later their measures were coordinated, and in her view on the whole Europe responded well to the first wave of the epidemic.

She said during a visit to Budapest the other day she had talks with Hungarian ministers, and these highlighted that they agree that the EU will have to cooperate intensively in the fight against the epidemic also with non-member, neighbouring countries. At any rate, in her view, it is difficult to judge how Europe responded in the first phase of the epidemic – poorly or well – because we are up against a virus of an unknown nature, and knowledge related to the virus and the disease continuously changed during the epidemic.

On the other hand, as a European citizen she has the impression, she said, that at present the EU is only a shadow of its former self in cooperation in different fields of life. In her view, this is similar to when the process of European integration became stranded for the first time in the seventies. President of Republika Srpska Zeljka Cvijanovic pointed out, among others, that European countries outside the EU which would like to join the bloc would like to see the EU adopt a firm and united approach to finding solutions to grave problems because that would serve as a point of reference for them.

(Ministry of Justice / MTI)