Máté Kocsis, the group leader of ruling Fidesz, said on Thursday that what’s at stake at next year’s European Parliamentary elections is “whether we can protect our sovereignty” or not.
Kocsis told a press conference during a break at the Fidesz-Christian Democrats group meeting in Esztergom, in northern Hungary, that as long as the current “corrupt Brussels elite” stays in power and the national right-wing in the West cannot get stronger, there will be no major change.
Change would also involve European leaders setting out on the path to peace instead of war, he said. War should not be financed and supported but all available means must be used to stop it, he added. In the European Union’s country-specific recommendations, the bloc is trying to “dictate member states’ decisions”, he said, and rejected it as an “attempt to eliminate economic sovereignty”. The EU has recommended that Hungary scrap extraordinary taxes financing the utility price cuts and defence, and the interest rate moratorium protecting families, he said. “They also expect us to allow Ukrainian grain from questionable sources into the country, citing support for Ukraine,” he said. The attempt to “eliminate [Hungary’s] cultural sovereignty” is rooted in a debate on migration, he said. Hungary had apprehended more than 1 million migrants since setting up its border protection system, he added. EU measures also aim to “force gender ideology” on Hungarians, despite last year’s referendum “with unprecedented support” where 3.5 million people expressed their views on the matter, he said. On the matter of political sovereignty, Kocsis insisted that the European Commission and EU institutions funded leftist Hungarian organisations and NGOs with “more money than the Soros empire”. The EU is using the money of European citizens to fund Hungarian leftists, he said. Regarding Hungary’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership, Kocsis said the ruling parties’ parliamentary groups had been unable to support Sweden’s NATO accession as they are waiting for an explanation on the “defamatory” film made on Hungary by Sweden’s public television. Kocsis said the two parliamentary groups had watched the film, in which “shocking lies” are told.
In response to a question by MTI, Kocsis said the government will not change interest subsidies for loans and will not raise the windfall tax on banks. He added that this was the group’s position and all statements that differ from it should be regarded as personal opinions. Lending needs to be increased in 2024 and this requires subsidised loans and banks, he added. In a speech, the prime minister told the groups on Wednesday that the budget deficit will be kept on the path of decline and agreements with the Chamber of Trade and Industry, as well as with the banking association, will be respected. Kocsis said inflation was on a decreasing path and credit rating agencies recognised that the Hungarian economy stands on stable and strong foundations, while lending must be accelerated. A tax increase would go against this, so it would not be realistic, he added. Commenting on central bank governor György Matolcsy’s remarks on the government’s economic policy, he said there was a debate between the government and the central bank governor on certain economic policy issues. Hungary’s parliament will table a new draft law on the protection of children in the autumn session and simultaneously, a legislation package will be submitted, designed to protect the country’s sovereignty. The proposal aims to “make the job of those selling out the country abroad more difficult”, Kocsis said. The proposed legislation package will contain an amendment enshrining the protection of sovereignty in the Fundamental Law, and regulations obliging all organisations running in elections to submit to the laws on party financing, he said. The Penal Code will also be amended, to make sure that “whoever sells out their own country abroad has to answer for their deeds before court at home,” he said. He added that this was the case “in all serious European countries”, citing the example of France. Fidesz lawmakers re-elected Kocsis as leader of their parliamentary group for another three years.