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Socialist PM candidate in Brussles – Botka voices concern for EU’s functioning
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Speaking to Hungarian journalists in Brussels on Wednesday, László Botka, the prime minister candidate of the opposition Socialist Party, expressed concern for the workings of the European Union.
“I’m following the workings of the European Union with concerned criticism, because its policies have led a significant number of voters to lose their trust in democratic and EU institutions,” Botka said. “And this has paved the way for the rise of populism.”
Botka said he had arrived in Brussels with “a deep commitment to Europe”, with which he said he wanted to convey Hungary’s interest in the strengthening of the EU.
He underlined the need for an EU that is quicker and more effective in responding to new crisis situations, arguing that “radical nationalist and populist forces interested in the dismantling of democracy” would “always take advantage” of delayed responses to challenges.
On the subject of Hungary’s fence on its border with Serbia, Botka said he “cannot imagine” that a razor-wire fence would stay standing in the middle of Europe “until the end of the world”. He added that this did not mean that the fence needed to be dismantled immediately.