The Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, on Wednesday 21 November, asked Viktor Orbán to explain why Nikola Gruevski, the former Prime Minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia convicted of corruption in his country, had been granted political asylum in Hungary.
Nikola Gruevski himself announced this decision on November 20. "If it is confirmed, I expect a sound explanation of its grounds (of the decision) from Viktor Orbán", the Commissioner added.
Hungary reportedly accepted this asylum request on the grounds that the situation of prisons in FYROM would not make Mr. Gruevski safe. However, FYROM is on the Hungarian list of safe countries. The Commissioner recalled that the rule of law is a fundamental principle for Member States and candidate countries and expressed surprise that Hungary could support FYROM's accession when it did not "consider it safe".
"It is difficult to express the shame I feel", Hungarian environmental MEP Benedek Jávor reacted. And to add: "A former Macedonian Prime Minister sentenced to two years in prison on corruption charges, who has wiretapped his fellow citizens, has been granted asylum in my country while children fleeing war are automatically returned there “.
The MEP also wrote on Wednesday to the European Commissioner for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, asking him to take a stand. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)