It’s not over yet for Orbán’s pick as EU Commissioner: His confirmation has been postponed as he failed to impress MEPs, slipping on reproductive and sexual rights.
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00:00The Hungarian Commissioner-designate, Oliver Varhely, did not pass his first hearing at
00:06the European Parliament.
00:08He failed to convince the Social Democrat, Green and Liberal lawmakers.
00:13But rather than having to sit through another hearing, he will be tested with new written
00:17questions.
00:18Among other issues, the Commissioner-designate for Health and Animal Welfare was asked to
00:23take a position on abortion, but he evaded the question.
00:27Abortion is a question that is more of a constitutional and human rights question than
00:33a medical question.
00:35And not only that, but it is also more of a question for member states.
00:40There is no EU competence when it comes to abortion.
00:46But the sharpest attacks on the candidate came in relation to the policies of the Orbán
00:50government.
00:51As a member of the governing party, many MEPs do not trust him.
00:55And he was reminded that he once called the whole Parliament idiots, for which he later
00:59apologized.
01:01Not a Commissioner-designate who calls MEPs idiots, as you did, perhaps because you did not
01:06support that the European Parliament qualifies Hungary as an electoral autocracy, because
01:11your regime sits on the independence of justice and slanders public freedoms.
01:15The very possibility of your nomination must sound like an alarm in all of Europe, even
01:19more so after your morning congratulations to Donald Trump.
01:22My question is simple.
01:23Do you intend to manage women's health and animal welfare as Viktor Orbán manages
01:27human rights in Hungary?
01:28Oliver Varhely has until Monday to answer the written questions.
01:31And his candidacy will then be decided by the Committees for Agriculture and for the
01:36Environment.
01:37So far, the Hungarian candidate is the only one who did not receive the green light from
01:42the Committee after his hearing.