Fidesz better off in EPP, Gulyas tells Die Welt

Prime Minister's Office chief Gergely Gulyas, in an interview to German conservative daily Die Welt published on Tuesday, said he believed Hungary's ruling Fidesz party was better off remaining a member of the European People's Party. "The EPP, too, would be better off keeping us," he told the paper. Commenting on the Hungarian government's decision to postpone the introduction of public administration courts indefinitely, Gulyas said Hungary wanted to avoid another showdown with the European Commission over the country's justice system, pointing out that another dispute could have "negative consequences". Asked if the government's decision on the courts had been made in the interest of Fidesz keeping its EPP membership, Gulyas said this had not been the motivation behind the move, adding, at the same time, that the decision "might make it easier for the EPP to keep us in".