We do not want Orban in ECR, says Czech conservative

Czech conservatives reject the idea of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party joining the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, Czech MEP Veronika Vrecionová wrote on social media, adding that they do not need someone who has blackmailed the rest of the EU over Ukraine.

Orbán told Italian media after Thursday’s European Council in Brussels that his Fidesz party will join the ECR after the 2024 European Parliament elections.

However, the Czech Civic Democrats (ODS) – the leading Czech conservative party affiliated with ECR – oppose such a move.

“Fidesz does not belong to ECR Group, and it is completely out of the question for me and many of us in the group,” MEP Vrecionová (ODS, ECR) posted on X, referring to an article initially published by Aktuálně.cz, media partner of Euractiv Czechia.

“We really do not need a handler in the group who has been blackmailing the rest of the EU over Ukraine for the last two years. Orbán has nothing in common with the values of the ECR Group,” Vrecionová, the ODS coordinator in the European Parliament, added.

The key dividing line between the ODS and Fidesz is their attitude to Russia and Ukraine. While Czech conservatives are strongly opposed to Russia and seek to support Ukraine as much as possible – militarily, financially and politically – Fidesz politicians continue to maintain ties with Moscow and try to weaken support for Ukraine.

On the other hand, the conservative Polish Law and Justice Party (PiS), another influential ECR party, has a different view. Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (PiS) said he would be “open” to Fidesz joining the ECR.

The position of the Fratelli d’Italia party, which has a large say in the ECR, is unclear. However, it is no secret that party leader and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has a positive relationship with Orban.

(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)

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