By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s rightwing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accused the European Union’s executive of waging a “political intifada” against him and others disagreeing with its “pro-migration,” “pro-war” and “anti-family” policies.

Orbán spoke about the European Commission (EC) during a fierce debate Weshesday in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, after his country took over the rotating EU presidency.

Looking directly at EC President Ursula von der Leyen, the Hungarian leader noticed that “In the past, as the treaties say, the Commission was the guardian of the treaties. It was a neutral body. Its job was to put political debates aside and deal with differences in a legal manner, but this has now changed.”

However, it has been turned into a body in a “political intifada,” he said. Rather than being a guardian of the treaties, it’s a political body, a political weapon. ”

Orbán and Von der Leyen clashed over how to tackle the massive migration from mainly Muslim nations, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and the EU’s economic stagnation.

He suggested that the arrival of asylum seekers from low-income Muslim countries was “increasing antisemitism, violence against women and homophobia.”

“The facts speak for themselves,” added Orbán amid boos from centrist and liberal legislators.

OUTSIDE HOTSPOTS

As a solution, he proposed that the EU should focus on establishing “outside hotspots” in neighboring countries to process asylum applications. He said that only those whose requests have been approved should be allowed into European territory.

“Without outside hotspots, we cannot protect Europeans from irregular migration,” he told the European Parliament. “Other solutions are quite frankly an illusion.”

The idea of offshoring migration procedures has gained traction in recent months. In May, 15 member states signed a letter pitching several proposals to advance the project, which remains controversial due to what critics view as fundamental rights.

He spoke at a time when his country is still awaiting billions of euros in funding that has been withheld due to concerns about the rule of law in the country.

Orbán has also received EU criticism over strict LGTBQ legislation banning education about homosexuality to minors that he says protects traditional families.

Speaking Wednesday at an often turbulent debate, the Hungarian leader also dismissed the EU’s response to the Ukraine war as “poorly planned and poorly implemented.

He urged the 27-nation bloc to resume communications with the Kremlin, which he attempted to do in a controversial visit to Moscow in July.

‘MISTAKEN POLICY’

“The European Union has mistaken policy when it comes to this war,” he said. “If we want to win, we need to change this losing strategy.”

EC President Von der Leyen appeared furious. “There are still some who blame this war not on the invader but on the invaded. Not on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s lust for power, but on Ukraine’s thirst for freedom.”

She added: “I want to ask them: would they ever blame the Hungarians for the Soviet invasion of 1956? Or the Czechs and Slovaks for the Soviet repression of 1968?”.

Von der Leyen said, “The people of Ukraine are freedom fighters, just like the heroes that freed Central and Eastern Europe from Soviet rule.”

Orbán reacted by shrugging off the comparison, calling it a “mistake.”

He said the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 had “nothing to do” with Ukraine’s resistance against Russian troops. Bullet holes and other damage from that period are still visible at several buildings in Hungary’s capital, Budapest.

Orbán also attacked Von der Leyen’s “Green Deal” on “climate change,” which he warned would harm industries. He said the EU was losing its competitiveness against the United States, and China lashed out at the bloc’s tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

ECONOMIC POLICIES

Von der Leyen said Orbán’s economic policies had failed in a nation where hundreds of thousands of Hungarians had left to live in other countries.

She noticed that Hungary was now inviting people from Russia and Belarus to take on the jobs Hungarians didn’t want. Von der Leyen also questioned Orbán’s decision to invite police from Communist-run China to patrol the streets.

Orbán said his country follows all EU regulations and denied they could pose a security risk.

Von der Leyen defended her track record reducing the bloc’s dependency on Moscow and accused Hungary of chasing “alternative ways” to buy Russian fossil fuels.

Budapest is currently exempted from the EU’s ban on Russian oil.

“Russia has proven time and again it is simply not a reliable supplier. So there can be no more excuses. Whoever wants European energy security first and foremost has to contribute to it,” von der Leyen said.

Orbán is not in a hurry to introduce the EU’s energy policy in his country, which offers perhaps the EU’s lowest utility bills.

While facing growing opposition at home, Orbán remains defiant as he is encouraged by his recently formed ‘Patriots for Europe,’ the third largest group in the EP.

Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

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