The European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, the Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, has deeply regretted the «misunderstanding» generated by his words, captured by the microphones of the plenary session of the European Parliament on Tuesday when, believing he was not being heard, he described the MEPs participating in the session as «idiots».
«How many idiots are there left?» he said in Hungarian to a member of his staff, thinking his words were not being heard after speaking in the plenary in response to questions raised by MEPs.
«It was related to a private and ongoing conversation in Hungarian between me and my Chief of Staff on a completely different matter, which was taken out of context,» apologized the Hungarian, who nevertheless apologized for any possible misunderstanding in this regard.
He also clarified that he «fully» respects all EU institutions, including the European Parliament and its MEPs, whom he thanked for the exchange of views on Tuesday, which was an «excellent opportunity to discuss geopolitical issues of the utmost importance in the Western Balkans».
Finally, he added that he remains available also in the future to exchange with the European Parliament any developments in the areas of his portfolio in full respect of his inter-institutional obligations and the principle of sincere cooperation.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
