Gulyas: Govt not to attend EP debate on Hungary rule of law

The Hungarian government will not participate in next week's European Parliamentary debate concerning observance of the rule of law in Hungary, Gergely Gulyas, the head of the Prime Minister's Office, told a press conference on Thursday, arguing there was no basis for discussion. The debate is set for Jan. 30 in Brussels on recent developments concerning the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary. The rule of law issue is just a "pretext for sanctioning Hungary because it was the first country to state clearly its refusal to take in migrants", Gulyas said. The mandate of the current European Parliament will expire in May, Gulyas noted, adding that the government is seeking an "anti-migration majority" to replace "the current, pro-migration majority" in the upcoming EP elections. Gulyas said EP had exceeded its powers and was seeking "new ways to support migration". European institutions should remain "within the scope of the treaties", he said. Plans to tie EU funding to the observance of the rule of law, he added, was "blackmail".