In the last years, the increasingly authoritarian rule of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has weakened the democratic pillars of Hungary. Mr. Stanishev emphasized that; ““Democracy is a core value for Europe and the project of Europe. We respect national sovereignty but we respect democracy even more. The European Union needs to establish the minimum criteria for democracy”.
The PES President added that; “this is not an isolated case. The state of Hungary is not different from the worrying situation developing in Romania or even in my country, Bulgaria. These totalitarian advances are of concern to us all. Attila Mesterházy is defending today the democratic standards of the Hungary and of the European Union.”
Mr. Mesterházy stated that; “Europe needs to send a signal about the commitment to democracy and the respect to the most fundamental rights.” Regarding the EU summit, which took place the same day in Brussels, he underlined: “A healthy economy is pointless without a healthy democracy. The summit must raise this pivotal issue, since only this way we can define the role of the European Union in the 21st century.”
“I like to think that this is not only a community of interests but a community of values. President Orbán, also Vice-President of the EPP, is a person who does not respect the values of the European Union, not even the ones of the EPP. Perhaps the EPP should react”, concluded Mr. Mesterhazy.
For further information please contact Brian Synnott on +32 474 98 96 75 (brian.synnott@pes.org)
