Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose right-wing nationalist government has been targeted by corruption accusations and criticized for backsliding on the rule of law, on December 21 accused the European Union of "Hungarophobia" and pointed the finger at the scandal-ridden European Parliament, calling for its dissolution.
In his annual international news conference -- one of the rare occasions when he faces the foreign media -- Orban said the corruption scandal currently engulfing the bloc's legislature had cast doubts over its credibility, and he said he supports dissolving the body in its current form.
One of the European Parliament's vice presidents earlier this month was charged in connection with allegations of bribery by soccer World Cup host Qatar.
"The swamp should be drained," Orban said, using a phrase first coined by former U.S. President Donald Trump, a close Orban ally.
“The Hungarians would like for the European Parliament to be dissolved in its current form," Orban said.
SEE ALSO: Wider Europe Briefing: What Exactly Is The EU Sanctioning In Russia? And What's The Future Of The Eastern Partnership?Orban and his ruling Fidesz party reacted angrily in September after the European Parliament ruled that Hungary was no longer a "full democracy."
Speaking at the news conference, Orban reiterated his calls to curtail the European Parliament's power and have EU members' governments appoint lawmakers rather than allow their election by direct vote, as is the current procedure.
Under Orban, who has been in power continuously since 2010 after a first stint in 1998-2002, EU member Hungary has seen an accelerated slide toward authoritarianism and widespread corruption.
The European Commission, the 27-member bloc's executive body, has recommended freezing 13 billion euros ($13.8 billion) in funds earmarked for Hungary as it calls for anti-graft reforms, but it accepted a compromise this month, reducing the amount of blocked funding in exchange for Budapest dropping its objections on aid for Ukraine and a global minimum corporate 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 said, taking aim at the bloc'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.
Orban is widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest EU ally and has repeatedly claimed that sanctions prompted by Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have caused more damage to European economies than to Russia.
“If it were up to us, there would not be a sanctions policy,” Orban said.
However, he again tried to play both sides, stating that he would not stand in the way of the bloc passing fresh punitive measures.