Magyar backs €90B loan opt-out, opposes Ukraine’s fast-track EU accession
Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza party, supports Hungary’s right to opt out of participation in a €90 billion loan while opposing Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the European Union.
According to Ukrinform, he said this at a press conference in Budapest, as reported by The Guardian.
Speaking about Ukraine, Magyar noted that he supports the agreement reached last December to provide Kyiv with €90 billion, which allows Hungary, as well as the Czech Republic and Slovakia, to opt out so they are not obliged to contribute funds.
He said Hungary should continue to exercise this right, as it is “in a very difficult financial situation.” Magyar stressed the importance of restoring EU funds to Hungary, which, he said, “belong to us and that every other member state received but us.”
“As we haven’t received it, we were unable to use it to improve our economy, so we cannot really take out even more loans,” Magyar said, criticizing the economic policies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
He added that the issue should not be revised but implemented in line with the agreements reached in December.
Magyar also said he does not support Ukraine’s “fast-track” EU accession: “It would be impossible for a country at war to be taken by the EU.”
The politician said that “all accession countries have to go through the same process,” and that at the end of this process he would like to hold a referendum in Hungary. Magyar added that he does not envisage that being “in the next ten years.”
The Hungarian opposition leader also stated that Hungary “cannot change geography” and will need to find ways to continue importing energy resources, including from Russia.
“Russia will be there, Hungary will be here. But we will try to diversify,” Magyar said.
He added that this does not mean Hungary wants to distance itself, clarifying that Budapest aims to “buy oil at low prices securely.”
Magyar went on to say that the Hungarian government sees risks to its energy supply due to the situation around the Druzhba pipeline and developments in Iran, which means Hungary will have to “diversify” its sources.
He expressed hope that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine will end soon and that “then immediately, Europe will lift the sanctions, because we are neighbors to Russia and it is not in Europe’s interests to buy raw materials at higher prices because that destroys our competitiveness.”
“I understand the moral issues … or principles, and I will protect human rights as much as possible, … but let’s not shoot ourselves in the leg,” Magyar said.
As reported by Ukrinform, Hungary held parliamentary election on April 12, with a record turnout of 77.8%.
With nearly 99% of the vote counted, the Tisza party, led by opposition politician Peter Magyar, is in the lead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Peter Magyar and the Tisza party on their victory.
Photo: screenshot from broadcast