Fidesz MEP: Brussels pressing ahead with Ukrainian enlargement while ignoring views of EU member states
Noting this week that a European commissioner told MEPs legal moves were underway to curb the possibility of vetoes, Dömötör told public radio it would now become clear whether or not Hungarians would have a say in Ukraine's EU accession.
Hungary's opposition to the decision should be taken into account, but it may not be, he warned.
Unanimity had been a requirement in enlargement procedures up to now, he said, adding that determining a candidate country's suitability had rested on detailed negotiations.
Bypassing the rule on unanimity and ignoring critical voices was not entirely new, he said, mentioning passage of the migration pact as an example.
Disputes with Brussels were over sovereignty, the Fidesz MEP said, arguing that Brussels wanted to take matters related to tax, migration and war out of the hands of member states and switch to qualified majority voting. This is also the case of EU enlargement, he added.
Not a word had been uttered about the 'drastic' economic consequences of Ukraine's enlargement, he said.
An EP study shows that cohesion and farm subsidies may shrink by 24 percent and 15 percent, respectively, he said, adding that the enlargement commissioner confirmed that some markets may be opened to Ukraine even before it becomes a full member.
'This isn't some abstract foreign policy debate, but a matter affecting everyday livelihoods,' Dömötör said.
Meanwhile, a ban on Russian energy imports would drastically increase household utility bills, he said, adding that the issue was about how alternative energy sources were dearer than Russian supplies rather than about showing sympathy for Russia.
Dömötör was asked to explain the statement that the Tisza Party supported Ukraine's accession when European People's Party leader Manfred Weber wrote in a letter to Tisza's leader, Peter Magyar, that he respected Tisza's position against fast-tracking Ukraine into the EU.
Tisza, he said, 'has a document stating that it supports accession', and he referred to the party's public survey indicating that 58 percent of Tisza respondents backed Ukraine's EU aspiration.
He also said that membership of the European People's Party group in the EP required supporting Ukraine's fast-tracked accession, noting that Tisza is a member of the group.
Dömötör insisted that Weber's letter was 'a transparent attempt' to mislead people, arguing that a Tisza official recently told a Polish television station that the party's Ukraine policy would be 'different from the government's'.
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