European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday slammed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after he spoke to the European Parliament for cozying up to Vladimir Putin, allowing foreign interference by Russia and China, and letting down the Hungarian people, Politico reports, UNN writes.
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"There are still some who blame the occupied for this war, not the occupier. Not Putin's thirst for power, but Ukraine's thirst for freedom," the European Commission President said.
"I want to ask them," she said, looking directly at Orban: "Would they ever blame Hungarians for the Soviet invasion of 1956? Or Czechs and Slovaks for the Soviet repression of 1968? Or Lithuanians for the Soviet repressions of 1991?" The rhetorical questions were applauded by pro-European political groups, the publication notes.
In the past, the newspaper notes, the European Parliament has criticized von der Leyen for being too lenient on the rule of law and human rights in Hungary.
Her objections to Orban's policies are said to have come weeks before the 26-member team of European commissioners goes before the European Parliament for confirmation, and she needs the support of MEPs for her second term. "In her latest address, in unusually strong words, von der Leyen called out the Hungarian prime minister for cozying up to Putin," the newspaper writes.
At the beginning of the six months of Hungary's presidency of the EU Council, Orban went on self-proclaimed "peacekeeping missions" to Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing and Washington, D.C., and claimed to represent the EU without authorization, the newspaper notes.
After the comments of the leaders of the European Parliament's political groups, the newspaper points out, a shocked Orban was given the opportunity to respond, and he said that he was "surprised by what the president said.
"I deliberately did not raise (the issue of) our differences, because as the presidency of the Council (of the EU), we work on behalf of Europe. It is wrong to talk about these differences when we talk about the presidency," he said.
Péter Magyar, who is now Orbán's main opponent, also faced the prime minister during the debate. Magyar's party, Tisza, is doing well in the polls.
Orban added that the European Commission has become a "political weapon" instead of being neutral and focusing on protecting EU treaties.
Von der Leyen also touched on other issues she had with the Hungarian Prime Minister.
On competitiveness, a topic on which von der Leyen and Orban agree that the EU needs more investment, the European Commissioner said that despite the EU's efforts to stimulate the single market, "one government is moving in the opposite direction, away from the single market." "No prizes for guessing who she was referring to," Politico notes here.
"How can the government attract more European investment if at the same time it discriminates against European companies by taxing them more than others?" she added.
"Von der Leyen concluded her attack on Orban by touching on migration, a hot political topic and a longstanding talking point for the Hungarian prime minister, who had claimed at a press conference a day earlier that his country was one of the few fighting to keep undocumented migrants out of the European Union," the newspaper writes.
"I heard what you said," von der Leyen continued, "You said that Hungary protects its borders and that criminals are imprisoned in Hungary. How does that fit with the fact that last year the government released convicted human traffickers and smugglers from prison before their sentences were up?
She used the opportunity to once again criticize Hungary's recent decision to allow Chinese police to patrol inside the country, as well as the easing of visa requirements for Russian citizens this summer, which she called a security risk for all EU countries.
"This is not a defense of European sovereignty, it is a loophole for foreign interference," von der Leyen said.
But, the newspaper notes, von der Leyen softened her blows, ending her speech with an appeal to the Hungarian people. "We are one family. Your history is our history. Your future is our future. Ten million Hungarians are 10 million good reasons to continue to shape our future together.