Several MEPs once again called on the leader of the EPP group, Germany's Manfred Weber, to call on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party to remain within the European Christian Democratic family on Tuesday 19 February, the day after the launch in Hungary of a new 'anti-Brussels' public campaign directly targeting the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, himself an EPP member.
Dutch MEP Judith Sargentini (Greens/EFA), who drafted the European Parliament's report triggering the Article 7 procedure on respect for the rule of law in Hungary (see other news and EUROPE 12094), and Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE, Belgium), asked in particular to act in accordance with the principles and values of the EPP family.
"What - in God’s name - does a man have to do to be thrown out of a club Manfred Weber?" asked Ms Sargentini via Twitter.
The public poster campaign represents the American financier George Soros, a regular target of Mr Orbán's attacks, as well as Mr Juncker on the theme: “You must know what Brussels is up to”.
It is true that Mr Soros has been received several times by the European Commission, in particular in the context of the infringement procedure concerning the Hungarian law restricting the activities of foreign universities, including those of the Central European University financed by Mr Soros. The case was brought before the EU Court of Justice at the end of 2018 (see EUROPE 11921).
On Tuesday, the Commission, through its spokesperson Margaritis Schinas, reacted harshly to this campaign, which it described as pure and simple "misinformation". "The Hungarian government campaign beggars belief. It is shocking that such a ludicrous conspiracy theory has reached the mainstream to the extent it has." he said. He added: "There is no 'they', only the European Union with Hungary sitting at the table. It is not true that the EU supports or undermines national border protection, quite the contrary happens. There is no plan for the so-called humanitarian visa, Member States decide to what level they want to accept legal migration".
A member of the EPP family, Mr Juncker has already expressed his unease about Fidesz's membership of the European Christian Democratic Party. This question was not finally asked in November 2018 in Helsinki, during the EPP Congress (see EUROPE 12133). EPP Party President Joseph Daul of France denounced "vigorously" via Twitter Hungary's attacks on Mr Juncker, who "fought for European unity, solidarity & prosperity that all EU, including Hungary, greatly benefited from". He added: "Instead of casting Brussels as a ghost enemy, Hungary must realise it is a part of it". (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)