Democracy and the rule of law work perfectly in Hungary, better than in Brussels, confirmed the Spanish MEP Jorge Buxadé during a visit to the Delegation for Fundamental Rights (LIBE) of the European Parliament last week. The VOX politician pointed out that the liberal majority of the delegation had already drawn their conclusions long before the trip, stating that the situation in Hungary had worsened.
– How useful did you find the fact-finding mission in Budapest?
– In principle, the mission should investigate the state of the rule of law in Hungary. After spending three days with journalists, politicians, NGO representatives, judges and other key actors in Hungarian civil society, we were able to convince ourselves that Hungary is a full-fledged democracy. The mission itself was theatrical because the conclusions were already written in advance, but I can still say that it was useful because we could see the reality of the Hungarian situation. A democratic, free country that functions in perfect harmony with the rule of law, very safe and of course beautiful.
– Has your opinion about Hungary changed?
– The trip not only confirmed that Hungary is a full-fledged democracy, but also that it is likely to be at a higher level than other Member States. And it is quite certain that its institutions are better than those of the European Union, one of which has only come to Hungary to intensify the ideological offensive against the government because they do not like it for family, community, identity and Christian tradition enters.
– Were your views taken into account by the head of the delegation?
– During the mission, the members of the delegation did not meet once to discuss whether they were in agreement. So I don’t know if my opinion was taken into account or not. The head of the delegation said at the press conference that the majority of the delegation had come to the conclusion that the situation in Hungary had deteriorated further. I don’t know when they came to that conclusion because, like I said, we never had a meeting.
It does not seem to me to be really serious to go to a press conference with such a statement, especially in view of the reports we have heard over the three days we were in Budapest. In the twenty-four hour sessions, the liberal members of the European Parliament’s Fundamental Rights Committee could not find any evidence that the rule of law was being violated in Hungary. You could see in their faces that they hadn’t achieved their goals. They were also very ill-prepared to face the Hungarian authorities.
– Can the Budapest meetings make the report more objective?
– No. The mission conclusions were drawn up long before the trip. The mission was theater, a sham, but the shot backfired. The only thing we saw in these three days was a clean, safe, free and beautiful city, in which – unlike in the so-called multicultural European cities – there is no illegal immigration. When I got to Budapest it was like finally getting some fresh air, especially since almost all restrictions have been lifted. Other liberal European governments seal off their citizens. It is incomprehensible that they of all people dare to criticize the Hungarian government in this way.
– What next steps would you suggest to us?
– The LIBE committee must stop persecuting Hungary. Indeed, all EU institutions should stop the ideological witch hunt against the Hungarian government. Brussels must remember that the Member States do not serve the EU, but the other way round: the EU was created to serve the Member States. During the trip I suggested that the national parliaments should send missions to Brussels to examine the state of democracy and the rule of law in the EU institutions. That would be a really useful mission.
– How do you see the potential for cooperation between the conservative forces in the European Parliament?
– The conservative, patriotic forces in Europe must work together. But we always have to respect each other’s identity and our differences. If we don’t, we’ll just create a different kind of globalism. But I think we are on the right track.
This article was first published by MAGYAR HÍRLAP.