The Hungarian government will end its public campaign against European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in two weeks, a spokesperson said Saturday.
“The Hungarian government is prepared to listen to any criticism, but the decision of the Hungarian people is more important to us than party discipline,” Hungarian State Secretary for International Communication Zoltán Kovács wrote on Twitter.
In mid-February, the government launched a taxpayer-funded campaign against Juncker and Hungarian-American businessman George Soros, which elicited criticism from conservatives across the continent, many of whom had already expressed concerns about the state of the rule of law in Hungary.
Linking to a Spiegel interview with European People’s Party lead candidate Manfred Weber, who demanded an end to the campaign and that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán apologize, Kovács wrote that “the Hungarian people have decided on several occasions that we must protect European Christian culture and we must halt migration. Hungarians have a right to know what kind of pro-migration plans are under preparation by the Brussels bureaucracy.”
“That’s why we undertook an information campaign, which will come to an end, according to original plans, on March 15,” he added.
March 15 is a national holiday in Hungary marking the anniversary of the 1848 revolution, and a day usually marked by major political speeches and rallies.
The announcement comes after ten member parties of the EPP publicly called for a discussion of the Hungarian ruling Fidesz party’s status within the party. Many called for Fidesz to be expelled.