EUROPEAN COMMISSION chief José Manuel Barroso dismissed an attack by Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban in which he implicitly compared the EU with the Soviets.
The exchange comes amid mounting antagonism between Europe and Mr Orban over his country’s new constitution and his administration’s budget policies.
The tensions have already led the commission to initiate legal action against constitutional measures and a threatened €498 million sanction over the budget, which would be the first such penalty against any EU member state over its economic policy.
“Those who compare the EU to the USSR show a complete lack of understanding for what democracy is, in his view, and they also fail to understand the important contribution of all those who have defended and fought for freedom and democracy,” Mr Barroso’s chief spokeswoman said.
“This is what I can tell you about the president’s position,” she said about Mr Barroso’s attitude to Mr Orban’s remarks.
In a speech on Thursday to mark Hungary’s 1848 revolution against Austrian rule, Mr Orban vowed to defend Hungary’s interests and sovereignty.
“Hungarians write their own constitution and don’t need unsolicited help from foreigners who wish to control our actions,” said Mr Orban.
“We very well know the nature of unsolicited help from comrades, and we recognise it even if it’s not wearing uniforms but well-cut suits,” he said in an implicit comparison between EU officials and those of the USSR.
