In an interview on Kossuth Radio’s “Good Morning Hungary” show on Friday morning, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that László Trócsányi had helped to protect Hungary from migration, and this is why he is now being denounced. The previous day the legal affairs committee of the European Parliament decided that a conflict of interests exists between Mr. Trócsányi’s candidacy for the Commission and the activities of the law firm Nagy & Trócsányi. 

Mr. Orbán said that former justice minister Trócsányi is an internationally recognised jurist, an experienced diplomat, and is the person most highly qualified to be a member of the European Commission.

The Prime Minister said that, however, Mr. Trócsányi is guilty of a sin: he helped the Government protect Hungary from migration, and his assistance enabled the drafting of legislation needed to ensure that nobody can enter the country illegally and without proper documentation.

The Prime Minister stated that this is why Mr. Trócsányi is now being denounced. But instead of being attacked directly, he is being subjected to an underhand attack from the side: he has been voted down on the European Parliament’s committee for legal affairs, rather than the specialist foreign affairs committee, and the vote was influenced by party politics.

Mr. Orbán said that on Thursday he had spoken with the European Commission’s President-elect Ursula von der Leyen. He said that they had agreed to wait until the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) is submitted in writing, after which they will speak to each other again.

Asked what can be done and whether a new candidate might have to be considered, he answered, “I have in my pocket a second, third and fourth solution”.

In relation to his visit last week to Rome, where he took part in a right-wing political event, the Prime Minister said that the event was wonderful, he had felt at home, and it had reminded him of “Civil Circle” meetings in Hungary in 2004–05, when the flags of resistance had also been held high.

Speaking about domestic politics in Italy, he said that the Government in Italy was transformed without an election, and many Italians feel that they have removed from the Cabinet the man who was the guarantor of security in Italy: former interior minister Matteo Salvini, who had closed the ports to migrants.

He noted that with this change in circumstances Hungary has also temporarily lost an ally in the fight against migration.

“And as is always the case: if a left-wing government comes to power, immediately the ports start to open and migrants immediately start arriving; instead of being stopped, they are shipped in.”

Reacting to criticism of the Hungarian government by Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte, Mr. Orbán said that Hungary can help Italy in certain ways, but in other ways it cannot and will not: “We will not help them […] to open the ports, to transport in migrants, and to distribute these people around Europe.”

The Prime Minister stated, however, that Hungary can help Italy in border defence, for instance by sending police, and “if needed, we’re prepared to take over border security duties on any part of the Italian border, and put ourselves at their service”.

Mr. Orbán said that migrant distribution quotas are out of the question, but the Government does support “shipping out” quotas: Hungary will gladly play a role in such a task, whether or not the migrants are on its territory.

He observed, however, that clearly such assistance is not wanted, because the Left is bringing in migrants so that later they can be given citizenship, and in return give their support to the Left.

According to the Prime Minister, there is only one continent on earth that, “yielding to its suicidal tendencies”, fails to protect its own identity: Europe.

He stressed, however, that Central Europe stands in stark contrast to this.

The Prime Minister also said that in the European Parliament pro-immigration MEPs are currently in the majority, but this is not the case among prime ministers. Therefore he hopes to again defeat proposals for the migrant distribution quota.

He stated that the European Parliament wants to “shoot down” some of the candidates for posts on the Commission precisely because, if they become members of the European Commission, then that body will start to more closely resemble the European Council than the European Parliament.

Commenting on the migrant quota agreement adopted earlier this week in Malta by that country, Germany, France and Italy, the Prime Minister said that the countries demanding a quota in Malta have not even fulfilled their previous quota commitments.

Mr. Orbán said it ia inconceivable that the EU’s prime ministers could once again be so outrageously “hoodwinked” at ministerial level on the quota issue.

Speaking about this weekend’s general election in Austria, the Prime Minister said that he hopes that by Monday there will be an additional ally on the European stage opposing immigration.

In relation to the Fidesz party congress being held on Sunday to elect and re-elect party officials, the Prime Minister – who is also the party’s president – said: “We must bear in mind that the fact that we are still on our feet represents a great duty and is a great achievement”.

He said that the congress must acknowledge the party’s responsibility towards the future.

The Hungarian local government elections in October were also mentioned in the interview. A recording has been leaked in which Gergely Karácsony – mayor of Budapest’s 14th district and the opposition’s candidate for the post of Mayor of Budapest – speaks about a threat from the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP). Mr. Orbán said, “Gergely Karácsony is stumbling about, and soon I’ll start to feel sorry for him, as he’s sliding into such impossible positions”. He added that he hopes people in Budapest and other cities will elect competent candidates.

In relation to redundancies at the Electrolux plant in Jászberény, the Prime Minister said that as soon as the news broke he immediately sent two of his ministers to Jászberény to hold talks with everybody, because if necessary the Government will provide assistance to ensure that nobody is left jobless.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)