Hungary's Orban blasts 'Hungarophobia' in Brussels
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accuses Brussels of "Hungarophobia", saying that prejudice -- rather than graft concerns -- delayed a recent agreement with the EU over frozen bloc funds.
The EU's executive arm, the European Commission, recommended freezing 13 billion euros ($13.8 billion) in funds earmarked for Hungary while it pressed for anti-corruption reforms.
But in a compromise this month the EU reduced the amount of blocked funding for Budapest's greenlight over financial aid for Ukraine and a global minimum tax.
"We were able to agree with the EU, which was an exceptional performance by us as we had to fight against Hungarophobia in a world dominated by liberalism," Orban told reporters at an annual press conference.
The nationalist premier also described the EU's rule-of-law process as "a serious nail in the EU's coffin".
"It should be pulled out. What the EU is doing today is a few rule-of-law people trying to impose their will on a few countries," Orban said.
"The swamp should be drained," he said, reiterating his government's calls to curtail the assembly's power and have national governments appoint EU lawmakers rather than them being elected by direct vote.
The 59-year-old, who has been in power since 2010, added that he "has no plans to retire".
