Hungarian politicians discuss Hungary’s EU membership

Budapest (MTI) – Politicians discussed issues concerning Hungary’s European Union membership at an economic conference on Wednesday, but none of the participants advocated an actual exit from the union as such.

The conference entitled “Does the Hungarian economy have a future outside the European Union?” included a five-party debate, where state secretary Nándor Csepreghy said on behalf of the government that there is no future for Hungary outside the EU. He said it was “narrow-minded” to interpret the government’s criticism of the system as a sign of wanting Hungary to leave the EU.

Daniel Z Kárpát, a spokesman for the Jobbik party, said his party did not want an exit in the short term, but it urged the government to make an assessment of the benefits and drawbacks to membership, as in the long period since Hungary’s accession negative circumstances in the country have not changed fundamentally. He added that while economically Hungary’s was an integral part of the European scene and should remain so, the political centralisation is unacceptable.