According to Kinga Gál, everything that Péter Magyar says is "a balloon". Interview.
The Hungarian government is not pro-Russian, but pro-Hungarian; Viktor Orbán does not have to fear Péter Magyar; the Patriots are the vanguard of change in line with the will of the majority of European voters. Gál Kinga, the vice-president of Fidesz, the president of the European Parliament delegation of Fidesz-KNDP and the first vice-president of the Patriots for Europe faction, spoke about this, among other things, in the interview.
The chairman of the European Parliament delegation of the governing parties believes that Fidesz and its faction, the Patriots, will have room to maneuver in the parliamentary cycle that is just starting. In relation to the new right-wing representative group created this year, he told our paper that the Patriots are the third strongest faction in the European Parliament - it is made up of 13 member parties and 84 representatives from 12 countries.
Apparently, they tried everything in order to prevent us from getting leading parliamentary positions, so the European People's Party even teamed up with the extreme left, the communists. Despite this, our representative group will be unavoidable in the work of the coming period, precisely because of its numerical ratio, and when the daily work begins, this will become evident in the reports and speeches. I am sure that we can respond to the demands of European citizens who want change, because they are not satisfied with the decisions of the European leadership on migration, the so-called Green Deal, which has become poisonous, agriculture and the protection of farmers, and they are in favor of Europe you need peace
- said Gál Kinga. He also highlighted: the European Union was originally created to ensure peace and security for European nations and citizens, but now the opposite is happening.
The member of the European Parliament also spoke about his hope that the Patriots will find a partner in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). "We can even reverse important European Parliament votes on a number of specific issues," he noted.
When asked whether a rivalry between the Patriots and the European Conservatives is expected, Kinga Gál answered that he expects cooperation between the two representative groups on specific issues.
"We don't necessarily have to agree on everything, there may be differences of opinion, but we can work together on important issues affecting the citizens who voted for change in the European Parliament elections. I am hopeful"
- stated the member of the European Parliament.
"I trust that our representative group will grow"
At the end of June this year, it was decided that Fidesz would not join the European Conservatives and Reformists led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Viktor Orbán talked about the creation of a large right-wing faction being the most ideal, but this agreement was not reached between Giorgia Meloni and the leader of the French radical right, Marine Le Pen.
At the end of June, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, President of Fidesz, Herbert Kickl, President of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) and former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, President of the Action of Disgruntled Citizens (ANO) adopted a so-called Patriotic Manifesto for the future of Europe. This became the basis of the new European Parliament representative group, the formation of which was announced at the beginning of July by Kinga Gál, who was elected as the first vice-president of the Patriots for Europe. Some of the European conservatives also joined the faction, and thus it became the third largest representative group in the European Parliament.
When asked about the relationship between the two factions, Kinga Gál said that it is in the interest of both the Patriots and the European Conservatives to strengthen the conservative right in the European Parliament:
Both factions, as well as their leaders, that is, Giorgia Meloni, take the position that cooperation does not weaken, but strengthens.
As to whether more people will join the Patriots, the member of the European Parliament stated: he is sure that there will be more people joining in the coming months.
It is clear that our patriotism and our approach to European issues have had a positive response in many political parties. I am confident that our representative group will grow
said Kinga Gál.
Recently, the Polish press wrote that former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wants to replace Giorgia Meloni as the leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists. According to Gál Kinga, the Patriots have nothing to do with this, whatever changes happen at the head of the ECR, it would not affect the existing good relations.
Among the questions, it was asked whether they plan to cooperate with the Europe of Sovereign Nations group consisting of radical right-wing parties, of which Mi Hazánk is a member with one representative, as well as the AfD, which successfully advanced in the German regional elections (with 14 representatives, they represent the faction's largest delegation). Gál Kinga emphasized that there are two separate factions with different programs, but they can vote together on specific issues affecting European citizens: as examples, he mentioned the issue of migration, the protection of external borders, the stand for peace, and criticism of the Green Deal. the latter "a poisonous process" , which, according to him, "extremely harmed" Hungarian and European farmers, European food safety, and European competitiveness.
I think that the conservative right can agree on these issues, as well as on the fact that there is no need for a European superstate that is centralized and takes away the powers of the national member states. This is not how the founding fathers envisioned the European Union. They wanted a cooperation based on mutual respect to be established. We must stop the federalizing and centralizing trend that is now gaining strength. In these specific cases, it is also possible to vote together with the conservatives
- explained Kinga Gál.
As for the AfD, whether it can be a viable partner for Fidesz, the representative replied: it is necessary to pay attention to what the will of the voters is, and now it can be seen that there is a need for change in Europe, which is also the result of the regional elections in Germany verified.
Attention must be paid to the demand for change. That's why we thought after the European Parliament elections that we had to take action. That is why the three party leaders in Vienna accepted the Patriot Manifesto, and based on this, our Patriot faction was created - which is different from the faction to which the AfD belongs. People want change, and we believe that we, the Patriots, can be the vanguard of that change.
said Kinga Gál.
"Viktor Orbán always came out of the European Parliament crisis strengthened"
The elections of June 9 redrawn the map of Hungarian politics, and in the new European Parliament cycle, the Tisza Party won most of the seats from the opposition. In response to this, the Fidesz politician explained: the Tisza Party joined the representatives of the "very strong, pro-war" European People's Party, therefore it represents the same pro-war position that the ruling party cannot agree with.
In addition, Kinga Gál's opinion is that everything Péter Magyar says is "a joke":
Throughout the campaign, he claimed that he would not take up his mandate, and then he just took it up. Then he hid behind the immunity of the European Parliament after he forcibly took the mobile phone of a person recording him and threw it into the Danube. I don't think he can be expected to do serious, worthwhile work that helps Hungarian voters.
The Fidesz politician emphasized that he considers the attitude of the opposition members of the European Parliament to be outrageous. According to Kinga Gál, they are doing this so that the country does not get access to EU funds, even though it has now been proven: there is no rule of law problem in Hungary, but political pressure is being exerted against it, because the government continues to stand by its position of peace in the matter of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which goes against the with illegal migration, does not accept the migration pact. While the Hungarian government protects the Schengen borders, the Union not only does not provide support for this, but also harshly punishes the border protection.
A member of the European Parliament of Fidesz stated: they are trying to blackmail the government, and since the opposition is also behind this, they are against the interests of the country and the Hungarian people.
According to the plans, on September 18 in Strasbourg, Viktor Orbán will be able to present the program of the Hungarian successive EU presidency, the content of which was discussed by the minister responsible for European Union affairs, János Bóka, in an interview .
The program covers topics that are related to Europe's competitiveness and interests: for example, the issue of demography and Western Balkan enlargement. The latter is a 20-year promise from the Union, and it is also a pan-European interest, which would help the security of the region. No one has yet committed to the Hungarian government's program, the content is completely acceptable. So far, any attack on the Hungarian EU presidency has only had political reasons behind it
- pointed out Kinga Gál.
In response to the suggestion that critics of the EU usually refer to the Hungarian government's excessive Russian-friendliness, the Fidesz member of the European Parliament explained:
The Hungarian government is not pro-Russian, but pro-Hungarian and pro-peace. He looks at what is in Hungary's interest and what he has to do so that it is not harmed. There's a war going on next door, and we can see exactly how it could escalate. If what we have seen on the battlefields in recent weeks continues, then this could escalate into an even bigger war. The government's position is consistently that Hungary does not supply weapons and that a cease-fire is needed as soon as possible. Stop the destruction and start peace talks. This is not the assumption of other interests, but this is the Hungarian interest.
Recently, Péter Magyar told Viktor Orbán that they would meet at the meeting in Strasbourg and that he would have questions for the prime minister. “I'll be there! I will send the questions in advance so that you have time to prepare," the president of the Tisza Party and member of the European Parliament wrote in his announcement.
It would not be the first time that the Hungarian Prime Minister and one of the MEPs hostile to him had a falling out in the European Parliament. Viktor Orbán will protect Hungarian interests
- stated Kinga Gál.
"Olivér Várhelyi is a candidate for commissioner prepared and trained in political attacks"
Regarding the relationship with the new European Commission, the member of the European Parliament said: the government has been open to negotiations with the commission up to now, conducted fruitful negotiations and reached reasonable compromises where necessary.
"Compared to this, it can be seen that if the government did something that was asked of it, they found new and new excuses, and formulated new and new expectations. The body, which also operates as a political committee according to its self-definition, puts Hungary under political pressure and uses all its legal tools for its political actions, hiding behind the fact that it is the guardian of legislation. This is unacceptable. With this, I think pan-European cooperation is being destroyed - slowly but surely. As a result of the European Commission's activities over the past five years, Europe is in a worse state today than it was five years ago. It has not achieved results in terms of preserving peace, stopping illegal migration and protecting our external borders, or protecting our children. It could not help farmers, European industry, and did not achieve results in the field of competitiveness. Because of this, it was not possible to support this committee and vote for Ursula von der Leyen as committee chair again," Kinga Gál said. It is expected that political pressure will be exerted because of this, but according to the Fidesz European representative, they had to agree with the Patriots even then to accept the voters' demand that change is needed.
In the European Parliament elections, those parties performed well or won, which confronted the commission with its wrong decisions made in recent years and their results. However, it is sad that even after an election picture like the one that just came out in Germany - it turned out that the will of the voters is far from what the mainstream in Brussels says - the decision-makers of the EU institutions do not take into account the will of the voters, but are unprincipled in order to preserve the status quo pacts are made, and the initiator of these is typically the European People's Party.
The re-election of the President of the Commission was decided by an equally unprincipled pact
Kinga Gál pointed out.
It is still an open question what kind of commissioner portfolio Hungary can count on. According to the Fidesz member of the European Parliament, this is unpredictable, as it falls under the authority of the President of the European Commission. The Hungarian government again nominated Oliver Várhelyi, who was responsible for the enlargement policy in the previous term, as Commissioner.
Olivér Várhelyi is a professional with serious vision and ideas who contributed to the strengthening of European cooperation and played a key role in reviving the Union's enlargement policy. We are proud of his work so far and trust that he will be sure again. You can count on our support
- stated Kinga Gál, at the same time adding, "knowing the functioning of the European Parliament and knowing that most decisions are a matter of political games, he is sure that Olivér Várhelyi will not have an easy hearing, he will not be surprised if the MEPs make unfounded political you have to face his attacks. In his person, we have a well-prepared commissioner candidate trained in political battles," he stated.
As for what will happen to the European Parliament mandate of Balázs Györffy, who resigned and left politics, the chairman of the European Parliament delegation of the governing parties said: the resignation of the representative came into effect on September 2nd, and the Fidesz presidency will make a decision in the first weeks of September on who will take up the seat. mandate and to start working as a European representative as soon as possible.
Featured image: Index/Péter Papajcsik
