Hungary to Reject Italian-Led Eurosceptic Alliance and Maintain Current Alliances: Official Report by Reuters

BUDAPEST – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party will not participate in a eurosceptic alliance led by Italy ahead of the European Parliament elections, despite shared views on immigration, a government official confirmed on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Italy’s far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini suggested that Italy and Poland collaborate to reform Europe and urged the formation of a eurosceptic alliance in preparation for the upcoming elections in May.

Orban initially expressed support for the initiative, hoping that anti-immigration parties would secure a majority in the elections. However, a senior aide told reporters that Fidesz intends to focus on improving the electoral prospects of Hungarian candidates within the European People’s Party (EPP).

"There is no hidden agenda here. The only thing is that these two politicians, Mr. Salvini and Mr. Orban, have a very similar, if not identical, approach to tackling the migration challenge," stated Szabolcs Takacs, a state secretary. He noted that to his knowledge, there are no upcoming meetings planned between Salvini and Orban, who are both staunch opponents of mass immigration into Europe.

"Both PiS in Poland and the League in Italy are not EPP members, whereas Fidesz is part of the EPP. This clearly defines our position," Takacs added. "Hungary is not participating in this cooperation for the European Parliament campaign."

He emphasized Hungary’s desire for the EPP to uphold its foundational values and principles rooted in Christian democracy. Takacs also expressed Hungary’s strong support for Manfred Weber’s candidacy as the next President of the European Commission.

Hungary has faced criticism from European institutions for what many see as a decline in democratic standards, with reforms perceived to undermine the independence of the judiciary and the media.

Last September, the European Parliament took the unprecedented step of sanctioning Hungary for violating EU rules related to democracy, civil rights, and corruption, isolating Prime Minister Orban from powerful allies.

Looking ahead, Takacs expressed hope that tensions between Hungary and European institutions could lessen after the elections, suggesting that the next European Commission should adopt a less political stance. "What we would like to see is a completely different European Commission that will uphold European law—nothing more, nothing less," he stated.

He also argued that, unlike the current Commission President, the future European Commission should refrain from positioning itself as a political entity in the next institutional cycle.