Fidesz Party Threatens to Leave EU Conservative Bloc if Suspended - Reports

Fidesz has previously come very close to being expelled from the European Parliament's centre-right group after the Hungarian government launched an anti-migration campaign, opposing Brussels' policies.

According to the Hungarian PM's chief of staff Gergely Gulyas, the Hungarian party would immediately leave the conservative bloc, known as European People's Party (EPP) if the EU decides to suspend it.

"It is about the dignity of Fidesz and the country", he told state news agency MTI.

READ MORE: Hungary Cannot 'Yield' to EU, Stop Defending Christian Values, Endorse Migration

Addressing the situation, German conservative leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said earlier in the day that a membership "freeze" for the Hungarian party would be an option.

"As long as Fidesz does not fully restore trust there cannot be normal full membership", Kramp-Karrenbauer told Reuters.

The statement comes after European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker told German radio he had advised the centre-right European People's Party to kick out Fidesz, accusing the Hungarian politicians of spreading "lies".

Budapest launched a campaign against EU migration policies in February — just three month before elections to the European Parliament.

The decision followed a "Stop Soros" bill, adopted by the Hungarian Parliament in 2018, which criminalised giving unauthorised assistance to illegal immigrants, also allowing to impose a ban on the activities of pro-immigration human rights groups.