Following today’s decision on the rules of procedure having taken place in the European People Parties’ Group (EPP Group) of the European Parliament, the Co-Chairmen of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR Group) have expressed their sympathies and solidarity with the MEPs of the Hungarian Fidesz Party.

Both ECR Co-Chairmen regard the EPP’s politically motivated meddling with internal protocol as democratically unworthy and a clearly hostile move towards Hungarian voters, leaving Fidesz MEPs no other option than to leave the EPP Group.

ECR Co-Chairman Ryszard Legutko stated:

“With today’s decision, it is obvious that the EPP has also lost the last remnant of its original Christian Democratic soul.

“The values ​​that the EU founding fathers once stood for no longer have a home in the EPP.”

ECR Co-Chairman Raffaele Fitto said:

“The EU is in its worst crisis in its history. Instead of promoting stronger ties and a true spirit of solidarity, the so-called pro-Europeans are raising barriers and creating divisions between the different peoples of Europe. All this is worsened by their claims to ‘patents’ on democracy, seemingly allocated to democratically legitimate governments only on the basis whether they like those governments or not.

“Our idea of Europe is different, a community of nations cooperating peacefully with each other, respecting different opinions and identities.”