Ursula von der Leyen harshly criticized Orban’s EU policies

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sharply criticized the policies of the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, at a meeting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Von der Leyen accused Hungary’s current presidency is a “historic failure” due to its refusal to support Ukraine, economic incompetence and the fact that Hungary has “opened a loophole for foreign influence.”

Von der Leyen recalled how Soviet troops invaded Hungary in 1956 and suppressed the uprising against the Stalinist regime. “There are still those who blame this war not on the aggressor, but on the attacked, not on Putin’s thirst for power, but on the thirst of the – Ukraine for freedom of 1956?” – said i.

Before von der Leyen’s speech, Viktor Orban spoke to the European Parliament, talking about Hungary’s priorities as the country currently in charge of the European Union (Hungary holds the rotating presidency of the EU from July 1 to the end of the year). Usually such reports are formal, but Orban’s speech caused a strong reaction from parliamentarians.

The Prime Minister of Hungary said that the European Union is on the verge of a crisis, he accused his leadership of economic stagnation, that environmental policy is directed against business interests, and that the denial of Russian energy resources has led to increase in prices. He also requested that migration policy be tightened as much as possible.

Von der Leyen answeredthat the rejection of Russian energy resources is connected not only with sanctions, but also with the pan-European movement towards the transition to “green” energy sources, which is progressing successfully. She called Orban’s proposed measures to suppress migration, such as building camps for asylum seekers outside the EU, “not a solution, but throwing the problem over a neighbor’s fence.” She recalled that last year Hungary released convicted smugglers and human traffickers early from prison, allowing Chinese intelligence services to operate on its territory, and now , bypassing sanctions, inviting Russian citizens to come to Hungary without security checks.

In the European Parliament, Orban’s speech was greeted with applause from only a portion of the audience. Others displayed posters accusing the Hungarian leadership of corruption and sang anti-fascist songs.

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