“Urban with Putin, only unanimous decisions in the EU” – Corriere.it

from our reporter
Brussels “I understand the national interest, but selfishness in the face of danger is unforgivable.” Radoslaw Sikorski, former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense, and a member of the Civic Platform party. Since 2019, he has been a member of the MEP and part of the EPP.

Is it time to tell Viktor Orban or do you agree with the decisions or are you out of the EU?

“Every country has the right to debate to defend its point of view and its national interests. In the Lisbon Treaty we agreed to conduct a common foreign policy, and the appropriate place to discuss the national interest is the Foreign Affairs Council. We are committed to considering not only individual interests but also those of the European Union as a whole. To know what European interest Hungary is defending by objecting to the punishment of the warmongers, Patriarch Kirill. We are paying the price to wean ourselves off Russian oil and gas. Hungary has gas pipelines connecting it to Turkey and oil pipelines to the Adriatic. We will all understand if The problem was adapting refineries to different types of crude, but it is clear that Orban is on Putin’s side in this struggle and that is scandalous. I am glad we kicked Fidesz out of the EPP “

If there was no agreement, should the member states have made the decision at 26 o’clock?

“We have just finished the conference process on the future of Europe and this is one of the issues: whether member states should be allowed to veto important EU decisions not on the basis that they do not share the view on the ‘argument but on the basis of some other issue that they are trying to During which to blackmail other member states. Hungary is not alone. Nationalists – you have these politicians in Italy too – think consensus is great because you can force the entire EU to pay attention to you when you veto it. But of course, your country is not the only country that can impose a veto. This is not a recipe for making the European Union strong and respectable. This makes us ineffective and powerless. The time of absurd policies is over, we are facing a severe recession, a rise in prices for citizens, and Putin’s threat to invade neighboring countries. So we need to get more serious: The principle of consensus must be rethought. Likewise, I criticize the leaders of some Member States who are trying to violate the solidarity clause that we have agreed upon. I think that talks with Putin only delay the moment when he realizes that he cannot win the war. We have to wait until Putin wants to talk to us.”

Does the EU have the tools to kick out a member state that doesn’t respect the rules?

“We have the tools to remove the voting power of a member state and I understand that Hungary is already subject to the Article 7 procedure. If Hungary is happy to be part of the EU without a council vote, that might be the way forward.”

Is among the member states still defending Orban?

Polish nationalists hosted a meeting of far-right parties in Warsaw in November and then met again in Madrid in December. The United States has already credibly informed them that war is about to happen. I was expecting our Polish nationalist government to use this far-right alliance to persuade Orbán, Salvini, Le Pen and everyone else who was present. This is a moment when you have to decide which side to take: whether you are on the side of the European Union or on the side of our enemies.”

Does the Visegrád group still make sense?

Nationalists have tried to use the Visegrád group in what it should not use. But the group makes sense as a platform for creating and re-discussing issues of common interest. The Scandinavians do it, the Benelux countries do it. And there are some common issues between the countries of Visegrád, issues that have to do with the communist past: industry, agriculture, issues related to history, and geographical location. Our nationalists tried to use the Visegrád group as a tool to balance Germany and deter Russia. And that’s not something the other members of the Visegrád group want. Urban with Russia. The Czechs do not want to balance Germany. If you use a tool for a task that does not suit you, you risk breaking it.”

Poland received the green light from the European Union Commission on the recovery plan. Is the government’s commitment to justice reform sincere, or has Brussels rewarded Warsaw for its support of Ukraine?

“Reform is the problem. The government wants to select judges on the basis of political motives, so that they can be accused and convicted of corruption, and have a tool to put pressure on the opposition. This is the logic of reform. So the question is whether this preparation will be delayed or suspended. The recovery plan states However, disbursement of money is linked to achieving milestones and goals. The government has taken a step in the right direction. We hope it will continue until Poland becomes a state of law and gets the money.”