“We’ve struck a nerve,” Judit Varga told public broadcaster Kossuth Rádió, referring to Hungary’s child protection law, which, she insisted did not breach any European norms. The minister said that whereas the European Court of Justice normally gave member states a two-month deadline when it considered that legislation was not in line with EU norms, now Hungary had been given a single week, with a June 30 deadline. Hungary, she added, refused to be dictated to by the court or any other European body over how lives should be lived in Hungary. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights states that parents have the sole right to decide how to bring up a child, she said.
Meanwhile, on the topic of the EU recovery fund, Varga said “highly constructive” dialogue was under way regarding recovery plans, adding that Hungary’s recovery package had been drawn up in line with EU rules. However, the EC has since made new demands in light of the child protection law, she said, adding that the two should not be linked since one does not impinge on the other.
hungarymatters.hu
