Hungary has managed to retain its sovereignty after receiving the guarantees it asked for, so an agreement could be reached at the European Council summit on the bloc s long-term budget and the associated post-pandemic recovery package, Hungary s justice minister told public media on Friday.

Judit Varga said that, just as Prime Minister Viktor Orban pointed out, ideological battles cannot be fought during the epidemic.

„So the first and most important victory is that they realised this and the (…) European leaders stopped the irresponsibile behaviour,” she added.

The minister emphasised that no one can blackmail any member state, including Hungary, in order to give up its position corresponding to its own national identity on ideological issues.

She highlighted that the government had managed to preserve the „Hungarian s money”, EU funds and the country s credibility.

„It was only the Hungarian and Polish sides reminding everyone during the negotiations that there are EU treaties that require unanimity on certain issues, such as European values, including the rule of law,” the minister said.

Judit Varga expressed her hope that one day the Hungarian opposition would realise that Hungarian interests have to be represented in Brussels as well.

The minister also posted about the EU summit on her social media. She shared a picture, which she said symbolises the difficult negotiations of a year.

„The picture depicts the moment in the Hungarian delegation s room when the protagonists of the evening, including the President of the European Council, the German Chancellor, the French President, the Polish, Slovenian Prime Minister and the Hungarian Prime Minister – isolated according to domestic opposition -, reached a final agreement.”