Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, told a press conference 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”, Gulyás said. The mandate of the current EP will expire in May, he noted, adding that the government is seeking an “anti-migration majority” to replace “the current, pro-migration majority” in the upcoming EP elections.
Gulyás said the 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”.
He said US financier George Soros had met European Commission leaders 21 times in the current cycle, and insisted that “it is an illegitimate attempt” to influence it. The commission’s policies reflect Soros’s intent, he added.