Der Spiegel: Fidesz to remain in EPP ‘in near future’

For the time being, Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party will not be expelled from the European People’s Party (EPP) because the majority required for a move like that is missing, the German weekly Der Spiegel said on its news site spiegel.de on Friday and in its print version on Saturday.

The party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán still does not have to count on being excluded from the (EPP), it said.

In telephone calls to the chairmen of various member parties, EPP leader Donald Tusk made it clear that there is currently no majority to end Fidesz’s membership, a situation he attributed mainly to the attitude of the large member parties, including the German ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its coalition partner, the Christian Social Union (CSU).

In the calls, both CDU general secretary Paul Ziemiak and CSU leader Markus Soeder had warned against the “hasty removal of Fidesz from the EPP.”