Orban Lashes Out at EU Over Hungary Emergency-Law Criticism

(Bloomberg) -- The European Union should worry about saving lives during the pandemic rather than waste time on criticizing Hungary’s measures to combat the coronavirus, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

“In Brussels, they’re dishing out criticism instead of saving lives,” he told state radio on Friday.

He disputed reports that the EU is helping Hungary financially to contain the pandemic, saying he “he hasn’t seen a dime.” On the other hand, China and the Turkic Council, an alliance of mostly central Asian nations that Hungary joined recently, have delivered aid to fight the virus, he said.

Orban won parliament’s consent on Monday to rule by decree indefinitely, which he has said is necessary to fight the virus. Critics said that threatens democracy as it lacks a firm end-date. Orban said he’ll announce a stimulus package on Tuesday to help the economy, adding that Hungary shouldn’t take on too much debt as that could undermine its independence.

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