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Hungarian minister slams European parliament for trying to block Budapest’s EU presidency

Judit Varga pointed out that it was up to the Council of the European Union and not the European Parliament to make decisions on the EU presidency rotation

Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga AP Photo/Olivier Matthys

Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga

© AP Photo/Olivier Matthys

BUDAPEST, May 25. /TASS/. The European Parliament has prepared a draft resolution depriving Hungary of the right to preside over the European Union in the second half of 2024, Hungarian Justice Ministry Judit Varga said.

"Next week, the European Parliament will once again vote on a resolution against Hungary in a bid to block its EU presidency in the second half of 2024. We will not let them take this opportunity away from Hungary," she wrote on Facebook (banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist).

The European Parliament has passed resolutions criticizing Hungary before, which are recommendatory and not legally binding. The Hungarian authorities argue that European Parliament members from leftist parties dislike the country’s independent position on a number of international issues, including the conflict in Ukraine.

Varga pointed out that it was up to the Council of the European Union and not the European Parliament to make decisions on the EU presidency rotation. According to her, the Hungarian government is "in daily contact with the Council’s general secretariat and continues to make preparations to perform the mission."

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