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Hungary’s vision of EU differs from view of 'Brussels bureaucrats' — foreign minister

According to Peter Szijjarto, Hungary holds "a different vision of what the EU should be and how it can become stronger than it is now"

MADRID, February 14. /TASS/. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that Budapest's vision of what the EU should be differs from the position of "Brussels bureaucrats."

The diplomat said in an interview with Spanish news agency EFE that one of the main agenda items for Hungary’s presidency of the EU Council, which commences on July 1, 2024, will be the fight against illegal immigration and effecting a change in the political approach of the "Brussels bureaucrats." The foreign minister also acknowledged the tensions between Budapest and Brussels.

According to Szijjarto, Hungary holds "a different vision of what the EU should be and how it can become stronger than it is now." "We believe that the EU should be <...> an integration of strong and conscious countries," the minister clarified. "The EU can only be strong if the member states are strong themselves," he noted. "Consequently, stripping member states of capabilities or powers and handing them over to Brussels will weaken [the countries], and the weaker the member states are, the weaker the EU will be."

"We are having a serious debate about this, and unfortunately, because of this, Brussels is blackmailing us by freezing funds," the foreign minister concluded.

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