Hungary’s House Speaker: Common values unite Europe’s citizens

When discussing Europe’s future it is worth bearing in mind that, thanks to their common values, the bloc’s citizens are more united than divided, László Kövér, Hungary’s Speaker of Parliament, told a conference of speakers of the Council of Europe in Athens on Friday.

Speaking on day two of a meeting organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Kövér said in his speech that national identities and the mother tongue formed the basis of “our European identity” and that Europe’s strength derived from national parliamentarism and the successful cooperation of nations, as well as solidarity with national minorities.

He warned that European citizens felt their opinions no longer mattered and that confidence in European Union institutions as well as national democratic institutions was “dangerously waning”, adding that European democracies could be revitalised only if citizens had a say on real issues, starting from the expression of opinion at the national level.

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“We in Hungary have been courageous enough to ask people about migration issues … and key issues regarding epidemic management through a new form of direct democracy,” Kövér said, adding that the opinions expressed in the National Consultation survey had been incorporated into parliamentary debate and government policy.

Kövér noted regional cooperation between the Visegrád countries (V4), which he said shared a history, traditions, culture and values.