Fico: End of Right of Veto in EU Would Give Rise to New Iron Curtain

Budapest/Bratislava, May 29 (TASR-correspondent) - The abolition of the right of veto in the European Union and the punishment of countries advocating for sovereignty could become a new Iron Curtain, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stated on Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest. TASR learnt the news from its special correspondent in Budapest. Fico, speaking at the conference that was broadcast live on the website cpacHungary.com, noted that unprecedented decisions may follow as part of EU reforms. „The strength of the European Union lies in its ability to compromise, in the climate of mutual respect, and in the ability to collectively reject dictatorships,” the Slovak prime minister said, adding that abolishing the right of veto would mark a departure from democracy and the end of the common European project. „The war in Ukraine must end; it is weakening us in every way,” Fico added, stating that this requires communication with all parties involved, including Russia. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in his opening speech, emphasized that Europe is choosing between a liberal and a patriotic future. According to him, the former leads to a war-driven, centralized Europe, but Hungarians have their own patriotic plan. „We need peace, and for that, we don’t need Ukraine’s EU membership. We need sovereignty; we don’t want central governance. People must regain the freedom of politics, thought, and opinion. We want to reclaim Europe from migrants, and we want a Christian Europe,” Orban stressed. The CPAC conservative political conference has been organized annually since 1974 by the American Conservative Union (ACU). In its nearly 50-year history, it has become a major event mobilizing tens of thousands of conservatives. In Europe, it was first held in 2022 in Budapest. mf