Gulyás: Germany is destroying Schengen

The Hungarian government’s press briefing was somewhat shorter than usual this week, but as customary, Minister of the Prime Minister's Office Gergely Gulyás and Government Spokesperson Eszter Vitályos informed the representatives of the press about the government’s latest decisions and ongoing matters, and then opened it up to questions.

Speaking about Viktor Orbán's upcoming hearing in Strasbourg, Gergely Gulyás said that it is customary for the Prime Minister of the country holding the EU Presidency to be heard, and the Hungarian Prime Minister will comply with this. "We are familiar with the European Parliament, we know that there is an anti-Hungarian atmosphere there, but we have to trust that a meaningful dialogue can still be conducted", he said.

"We would certainly benefit from it if Trump were to win."

– Gulyás commented when asked about Viktor Orbán's and the Hungarian government's open support for the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. He added that by being the first to speak out on many issues, the Hungarian government had "gained a reputation". Gulyás said that because of this, the weight of the Prime Minister's speech at the EP next week was now greater than it would normally be for a country this size.

Will Várhelyi be reappointed?

On the nomination of Olivér Várhelyi as EU commissioner, Gulyás said that Orbán had spoken to Commission Chairwoman Ursula von der Leyen before nominating him. According to the minister, the rumours that von der Leyen wanted a female commissioner are not true. She did request that member states nominate both a male and a female candidate, but most member states did not comply with this. They, however, hope that Várhelyi will be approved based on his work in recent years.

On the cost of border protection and asylum law

At Wednesday's meeting, the government mandated EU Affairs Minister János Bóka to negotiate with the European Commission regarding their decision to condemn Hungary on the issue of migration. Gergely Gulyás said that because of the results of the 2016 referendum – which was by the way, invalid – they will not be forcing the country to take in migrants. The government wants the European Commission to cover the cost of border protection, and they are even willing to go to court over this. The minister said that unlike other Schengen countries, Hungary has not received a single forint for border protection.

Germany is destroying Schengen

Gulyás also pointed out that it's clearly visible that migration is destroying Schengen, and "Germany is destroying Schengen" by reintroducing border controls. According to him, one of the EU's achievements is being jeopardised because "they didn't listen to Hungary".

Gulyás explained that the German border closure will only affect Hungary from an economic perspective. "This is bad for the economy, because Germany is Hungary's biggest export partner". The minister also added that among the German parties, Fidesz has a good relationship with CDU/CSU, and that while they agree with Fidesz on many things, "they only dare to say this over a beer, in secret".

Government spokeswoman Eszter Vitályos kept strictly to the timeframe, and a few minutes after 11:30 she indicated that they had to leave. This meant that not all press outlets were given time to ask their questions at the government briefing, including Telex. To those who were left out today, Vitályos promised that she would call on them first next time.