The European Parliament 'is a joke', according to Hungary's foreign minister, following claims that the country was 'no longer a functioning democracy.'

Suspending $7.5 billion in funding for Hungary over corruption was recommended by the European Union's executive at the weekend. It stated that Europe's budget was not being 'sufficiently protected.'

In an exclusive interview with CGTN in New York, Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Foreign Minister, said: "The European Parliament itself is a joke.

"Nowadays, when Europe has been faced with a tremendous crisis of inflation and energy prices, the most important duty of the European Parliament is to judge Hungary, a country where democratic elections are taking place?

The decision by the European executive is the first such case in the 27-nation bloc under a new sanction meant to better protect the rule of law. Szijjarto said the EU ignored the fact that "the Hungarian people are mature enough to decide about their own future."

READ MORE

Will Orban survive Hungary's power battle?

Lights out early for Eiffel Tower

Global leaders pay tributes to UK monarch

"And they (EU members) hate the fact that a conservative center-right, Christian, democratic, patriotic government of Hungary has been successful for more than 13 years, has been winning four continuous elections and is still successful. And it can satisfy the needs of the people."

EU lawmakers have called on the government of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to step up anti-corruption safeguards before unblocking the country's share of the EU's COVID-19 recovery fund. Orban said on Friday he didn't care if fund were cut by the EU.

The Hungarian foreign minister added: "When they speak about democracy, the question is what they mean under the term democracy? Because under democracy we mean that the will of the people is being fulfilled.

"What they mean under democracy is that the liberal parties are ruling the country. No, it's not a liberal country ruling the country (of Hungary), but it's a democracy.

"So we have a different understanding about democracy with them. And they basically insult the Hungarian people on a continuous basis instead of dealing with how to improve the situation in Europe."

Hungary's government announced over the weekend that it would pass a string of new laws in the next few days, to try to comply with EU requirements. The EU Commission has given Budapest until November 19 to comply or lose billions in funding.