There was a newspaper called 'Sport plus Football', with the slogan across the top reading 'everything that print can handle'. Now, if I were to give my honest opinion here, it would not be permissible to print, so I shouldn't say anything,
Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto responded at a press conference in Brussels, when asked about the European Court of Justice ruling.
The European Court of Justice is fining Hungary six million forints (over 15 million euros) a day for allegedly violating the rights of asylum seekers.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban also commented on the fine earlier, saying "Brussels is shooting Hungary in the back".
Szijjarto's comments came after a working meeting of trade ministers, where he and his EU counterparts discussed the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine and the Bloc's relations with Africa. On the subject of Europe's competitiveness, the minister identified two main problems. One is that even when EU member states want to put their own resources into supporting investments, they need the European Commission's approval, which, he said, is a procedure that often drags on for years. As the other problem, he highlighted the mixing of ideologies and economics:
the European Union continues to adopt an ideological approach to economic issues, and one of the consequences of this ideologically based approach is that the world is rapidly moving towards division into blocs again,
he said.
In an increasingly blocifying world order, the minister pointed out that Hungary "serves as the best example of the extent of benefit a country, stands to gain from East-West economic cooperation".
In Hungary, tens of thousands of modern jobs utilizing absolutely cutting-edge technology are being created and providing a reliable livelihoods for Hungarian people. The country has become a meeting point for Eastern and Western economies, thanks to a large German, Chinese and Korean corporate presence,
he explained.
Cover photo: Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto at the working meeting of trade ministers in Brussels (Source: Peter Szijjarto's official Facebook page)
