Before his speech in the EU Parliament, allegations rained down on Viktor Orbán. It is said that the Hungarian head of government is a “total failure”. The Hungarian opposition leader, who is under investigation for allegedly throwing a man’s cell phone into the Danube, will also speak.
A tough exchange of blows with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is looming in the European Parliament. The leader of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber (CSU), called the Hungarian EU Council Presidency a “total failure” on Tuesday. The right-wing nationalist has “completely isolated” himself in Europe – partly because of his pro-Russian politics. Other democratic parties said that Orbán was an intellectual “arsonist” and that his government was corrupt.
Orbán wants to speak to the EU Parliament on Wednesday about the priorities of his country, which chairs the EU Council of Ministers this semester. Weber wants to open the subsequent plenary debate and announced the Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar as the second speaker. Magyar is considered Orbán’s main rival and has been sitting in the EU Parliament for the center-right Tisza party since the European elections in June.
Weber confirmed that the Hungarian judiciary is demanding that Magyar’s immunity be lifted. According to media reports, the opposition leader could then face investigations for alleged theft. Magyar took his cell phone from a man when he was filming him against his will and threw the phone into the Danube. Weber accused the Hungarian government of “politicizing” the case.
Orbán represents the interests of Russia and China
There was also sharp criticism of Orbán from other groups in the European Parliament. The leader of the Social Democrats, Iratxe García Pérez, accused the EU’s longest-serving head of government of “reaching out his hand to the enemies of the European Union”. He represents the interests of Russia and China, she said, alluding to Orbán’s trips to Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin and China’s head of state Xi Jinping at the start of the Council presidency in July.
The leader of the liberal Renew group, Valérie Hayer, called Orbán an intellectual “arsonist” who was putting the European idea at risk. “He wants to burn down democratic, liberal and tolerant Europe,” she emphasized.
Green MEP Daniel Freund accused Orbán’s government of “corruption and mismanagement”. Due to allegations of misappropriation of European budget funds and violations of the rule of law, more than 20 billion euros in EU funding for Hungary has been frozen.
Orbán wanted to appear in front of the press after his arrival in Strasbourg on Tuesday afternoon. The event was organized by the new far-right faction “Patriots for Europe”. In addition to Orbán’s Fidesz party, it includes Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (National Rally Movement) and the FPÖ from Austria.
AFP/coh