EU Commissioner rejects collusion charge by Fidesz MEP

Outgoing EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia at a hearing on Tuesday rejected a charge by a Hungarian Fidesz MEP that he had helped the Gyurcsany government to regain power by extending a deadline for amending the country’s convergence programme.

MEP Eniko Gyori grilled Almunia on the issue at his hearing as the EU’s candidate for competition commissioner.

Gyori cited Hungary’s former finance minister Janos Veres as saying at a closed meeting in 2006 that “various forms of political pressure” and a phone call by then prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany had got Almunia and his colleagues to extend its deadline for amending the convergence programme until after the elections.

The decision, she insisted, had had an impact on the outcome of the elections.

Gyori asked Almunia whether he had got such a call and had acted under political pressure.

Almunia said he did not want to get involved in Hungary’s domestic politics. He said he had met many Hungarian officials on many occasions since the budget deficit had always exceeded the EU’s target of 3 percent of GDP.

Almunia said that over the past few years Hungary had made important efforts to consolidate its finances.

“I am happy that by the end of my mandate Hungary was implementing the programme we had agreed upon,” he said.