Le Pen visits Urban

French right-wing populist presidential candidate Marine Le Pen demonstrated her critical stance on the European Union at a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest. “The European Union is no longer an international organization (…), but it has turned into a central power,” Le Pen said today at a joint press conference with Orban. Both politicians are currently campaigning.

“Threats of sanctions and exclusion against Poland and Hungary are very brutal,” Le Pen said, referring to the struggle over the rule of law between the two countries. They made it clear that it is about the existence of the European Union. She said that if she wins the French presidential election, she will hold a referendum on the precedence of national law over EU law.

change strategy

Orbán had previously avoided direct contact with Le Pen, but then changed his strategy since he left the European People’s Party (EPP), which also includes the ÖVP, in March. In Hungary, parliamentary elections will be held within six months. Last week, Le Pen met Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on the sidelines of an EU summit and promised him his support in the EU-Poland judicial dispute.

The governments in Budapest and Warsaw have been looted by the European Union for violating the rule of law for years. There are actions against both countries that could lead to the withdrawal of EU voting rights or non-payment of EU funds.