Before a two-day summit for leaders of European Union Member States in Brussels on Thursday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán answered a journalist’s question by saying that Donald Tusk will be the President of the European Council, as the sole joint candidate of the European People’s Party.
The Prime Minister stated that as the Hungary’s governing parties – both the Christian Democrats and Fidesz – belong to the European People’s Party, Hungary will support its sole joint candidate. He added that Hungary will leave any further debate on this matter to those involved in domestic political life in Poland.
Most important debate expected on new Hungarian migration legislation
The Prime Minister said that from a Hungarian point of view the most important debate at the EU summit is expected to be on the issues of asylum and migration, as Hungary has passed a law on this which has been advocated for some time. The essence of this is that genuine asylum-seekers should be separated from other migrants at locations outside the territory of the EU.
He stressed that attacks launched on the Hungarian legislation will need to be fended off, and it must be proved that the Hungarian regulations are in harmony with European law.
In answer to a journalist’s question, he added that as a Central European it is not easy to be a good European, as the region’s countries have a different historical heritage, different instincts on a number of issues, and differences related to their traditional values.
These differences lead to Central Europe’s different approach to the issue of migration, he said, but this approach is beginning to become the norm – even though this has not always been the case. Western European countries have in the past resisted proposals from the East, he said, but “we are moving every closer to reality”.
(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)
