Hankó: It is time to launch a rule-of-law procedure against Brussels
Balázs Hankó, the minister for culture and innovation, said in Strasbourg on Tuesday: 'It is time to launch a rule-of-law procedure against Brussels, too, because what Brussels is doing to Hungary lacks any legal basis.'
The rule-of-law procedure launched against Hungary 'severely discriminates against Hungarian university students, researchers and families', the minister said. 'Manfred Weber, Ursula von der Leyen and the Tisza Party that supports them are striving for power, and their goal is to erase Hungarian identity — but we won't allow it,' he added.
Hankó, who took part in a conference on Hungary's child protection law in the European Parliament, said Europe's competitiveness was based on strong nations, which were based on strong families, having children, and higher education, research and innovation that 'answers real questions'.
Hankó said the EU's infringement procedure against Hungary over its child protection law was based on an expectation that 'gender propaganda and sexual content should be let into Hungarian schools' and made accessible in the media to those under the age of 18. But, he added, Hungary would not comply because 3.5 million people expressed their opposition to 'gender propaganda' in a 2022 referendum.
Hankó said it was good to see in Strasbourg that Hungary was not alone, with the MEPs of several other countries expressing their support for family protection and normality at the initiative of the Patriots for Europe group.
Concerning the exclusion of Hungarian students from the Erasmus programme, the minister said he had held talks with the deputy secretary general of the Council of Europe because 'the EU's discrimination also concerns the students of the Council of Europe's 46 countries'. 'There are many researchers coming to Hungary from CoE countries, and they can't be excluded,' he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Budapest Times
an hour ago
- Budapest Times
Orbán: We will never support foreign policy that threatens Hungary's survival
The prime minister argued that Ukraine's EU membership would turn the region into a battlefield. 'If we admit Ukraine, we admit the war,' he said. For Hungary, a neighbor to Ukraine, this would bring direct military and economic consequences. 'Many Hungarians would die, our youth would be taken away, and our economy would be in ruins.' He reiterated that the government is not acting out of hostility but out of necessity. While Hungary has offered to help broker peace, its offers have been rejected by Ukrainian leadership. Instead, Brussels has continued to press for full membership, which Prime Minister Orbán called an existential threat. The economic dimension of this debate is equally serious. Hungary would be expected to contribute to a massive financial package for Ukraine—one the prime minister described as astronomical. 'The money they want to send to Ukraine in a single year equals 18 times the total pensions paid in Hungary,' he said. 'We are burning money in Ukraine for no reason,' he added, claiming that only large multinational corporations stand to benefit. Hungarian farmers are especially at risk, he warned. Not only would EU agricultural subsidies be redirected, but unfair competition would also follow. 'It's outrageous that Tisza Party experts called Hungarian farmers 'chimpanzees' just for adapting to the support system,' he said, condemning the insult and defending those who have played by EU rules. 'You simply don't talk about people like that.' Beyond economic and military issues, the prime minister also addressed growing pressure from the EU under the banner of the rule of law. 'The rule of law is nothing but a political cudgel,' he stated, accusing the European Commission of using legal rhetoric to pursue ideological goals. 'It's a political blackmail tool, nothing more.' Cultural tensions were also in the spotlight following the government's decision to ban a controversial Irish band from performing at a major music festival. Prime Minister Orbán said the move was necessary to protect public peace. 'If you come to Hungary, you must respect our laws,' he said. He also pointed to what he described as a growing alignment between artists and liberal politics, particularly in the lead-up to elections. 'Artists and the showbiz world line up behind the liberals. It didn't help in America, and it won't help here,' he said, adding that such campaigns often misjudge public sentiment. 'I think voters don't appreciate it when popular performers try to tell them how to think about life and politics.' In his view, this alignment may ultimately work in favor of the government: 'Politically, it doesn't hurt us. In fact, it may even help.'
Budapest Times
an hour ago
- Budapest Times
Bóka: Ukraine is not ready to move forward in EU enlargement process
János Bóka, the minister in charge of EU affairs, said on Thursday that Ukraine is not ready to move forward in the European Union enlargement process, adding that he has asked the European Commissioner for Enlargement to revise the EC's supportive position on Ukraine's accession. Minister Bóka posted his letter with his request addressed to Marta Kos on Facebook. He noted in his post that President Zelensky has signed a law that undermines the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies. Minister Bóka also referred to violence perpetrated during forced recruitment to the army and systematic deprivation of national minority rights, adding that new legislation and various measures all supported this position. In the letter, Minister Bóka asked the EC to revise its recommendation to open the first cluster of negotiations.
Budapest Times
an hour ago
- Budapest Times
Deputy PM: Tisza Party is an empty vessel bereft of ideas
Zsolt Semjén said the Tisza Party was incapable of saying anything meaningful about any relevant issue. Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén said the opposition Tisza Party is an empty vessel bereft of ideas, and all it can do is hurl hatred and slander at Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. During a podium discussion at the 34th Balvanyosi Summer Free University and Student Camp in Baile Tusnad (Tusnadfurdo) on Thursday, Deputy PM Semjén said the Tisza Party was incapable of saying anything meaningful about any relevant issue. 'They don't have party experts, which is why they're not setting up a shadow government,' he said, adding that Tisza could not name their candidates for Hungary's 106 individual constituencies 'because they don't have 106 people' available as candidates. He said the 2026 general election would be won by parties that win 60 individual electoral districts and do well on national party lists, 'especially if the Hungarians in Transylvania, too, support them'. Commenting on Hungarian-Romanian bilateral relations, he said much closer cooperation should be maintained between the two countries, which would serve the interests of both Hungary and Romania and therefore the interests of Transylvanian Hungarians, too. President of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, Hunor Kelemen, told the podium discussion that it was a fundamental interest of Transylvanian Hungarians to strengthen bilateral relations and make dialogue permanent. He said he had attended the informal meeting of Orbán and Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan on Wednesday evening. He added that the two prime ministers had immediately found a common wavelength and had been able to consult about important issues. The nearly two-hour meeting was characterised by mutual respect and sincere dialogue, he said.
