At today’s meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Members held an exchange of views with Belén Martínez Carbonell, Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS). In her intervention, Viktória Ferenc, MEP for Fidesz–KDNP, stressed: “According to the press, increasingly outrageous statements are being made by EU leaders. One such example is the statement of Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative, who in response to the Hungarian Foreign Minister’s remarks defending the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, said: ‘We protect minority rights within the European Union, not outside it.’ I consider such statements unacceptable, and they jeopardize the credibility of the Union!”

The MEP added: “EU leaders repeatedly make declarations in defence of human rights and the rights of persons belonging to minorities. Yet it is deeply disheartening that these rights are only supported in the case of minorities deemed useful from the perspective of their geopolitical interests, applying a double standard.”

Viktória Ferenc further underlined: “When it comes to Ukraine and the violations of rights suffered by the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, the importance of human and minority rights is brushed aside. The requests of national minorities are disregarded, ignored, and their stand for linguistic, cultural and educational rights is questioned. False and misleading claims are spread about them, while at the same time Ukraine’s token measures concerning national minorities are applauded.”

The members of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia are loyal citizens of Ukraine, they condemn Russian aggression, they also experience the horrors of war, and contribute to the defence of the country, and in addition they have to suffer the Ukrainian government’s policy of restricting their minority rights. They deserve more respect!” – urged the MEP of Transcarpathian origin.

“Ukraine’s accession to the European Union can only be achieved through the full compliance with the Copenhagen criteria, and respect for minority rights is an integral part of these criteria. We cannot sacrifice EU values and human destinies on the altar of power ambitions!”, the MEP concluded her remarks.