Commenting on Monday’s debate in the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE) regarding the rule of law in Hungary, Barna Pal Zsigmond, parliamentary state secretary at the EU affairs ministry, noted that the same accusations heard since 2010 were repeated: claims that in Hungary, there is no rule of law, no free elections, no democracy, and no press freedom, and that its universities are under Russian influence.
Despite this, he emphasized that such discussions are significant, as they provide an opportunity for the Hungarian government to present its stance and highlight contradictions to the committee.
As an example, he pointed out that while Hungarian students are excluded from participating in the Erasmus program at Western European universities due to alleged Russian influence on Hungarian institutions, students from the so-called 'free world' of Western Europe are allowed to study at these same Hungarian universities. Mr Zsigmond cited another example of double standards, highlighting that Hungary had to negotiate rule of law issues with former Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, who has now been charged with money laundering by the Belgian prosecutor’s office.
So while they are pointing fingers at us, Brussels had better focus on its own problems,
he remarked. Another telling example of using double standards, he continued, was Poland's treatment. While Poland was led by a right-wing government, it was constantly accused of rule of law violations. However, the moment a left-wing government took over, these accusations were dropped overnight—despite no legal changes occurring.
Commenting on Poland's EU presidency, Mr Zsigmond noted that it did not begin as Hungary had hoped: it was an unfriendly gesture that the Polish government did not invite the Hungarian ambassador in Warsaw to the opening ceremony.
The Polish government is clearly trying to sideline or even target Hungary.
This is due to the fact that a left-wing government aligned with Brussels has replaced the previous right-wing leadership,
he said. When asked about his expectations from Poland’s EU presidency, he expressed hope that the EU could make progress on economic issues. However, he criticized a European Commission document published on Wednesday, stating that it reflects a step backward compared to the Budapest Declaration adopted during Hungary’s EU presidency, which set clear deadlines and tasks for the Commission. Speaking about the frozen EU funds, he emphasized that representatives of Hungary's government are engaged in ongoing negotiations with Commission officials and are ready to reach agreements where possible.
However, there are red lines,
he stressed, citing illegal migration, family policy, and sovereignty as areas where both the Hungarian people and their government hold a firm stance. However, there are issues such as judicial reform and administrative measures, where compromises could be made to align Hungarian law with EU practices.
But what we see is that whenever we fulfill a requirement, they invent new conditions… and keep blackmailing us with these funds,
he said, pointing out that these conditions are designed to withhold funds that the Hungarian people are entitled to,
but we will not give up, because these funds are due to the Hungarian people,
said Mr Zsigmond.
Cover photo: Barna Pal Zsigmond, parliamentary state secretary at the Ministry of EU Affairs (Photo: MTI/Boglarka Bodnar)
