The European Parliamentary elections next spring will determine the continent’s future, Speaker of Parliament László Kövér told public news channel M1. In a joint interview with Marek Kuchcinski, head of Poland’s Sejm, Kövér said that the European elections would change the composition of both the EP and the European Commission, which will then “change the attitudes of Brussels”. Kövér said that low turnout in previous European elections suggested that “a European identity cannot be created to replace national identities”. The 2019 elections may bring “a significant shift towards [national] sovereignty”, Kövér said, adding that “hopefully the aberrant Left” will be suppressed. He said that the community’s problems such as geographic divisions within or international challenges could only be addressed when the majority of European decisionmakers “are again on the ground of normalcy”. “To achieve that we need straightforward politicians that respect their voters.”
Concerning the EP’s recent Sargentini report on the rule of law in Hungary, Kövér said that its adoption was part of the European election campaign and “an attempt to exert pressure on Hungary” by “putting us in a difficult situation at home”. He added: “We only have to report to our own voters.”