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Hungarian President Victor Orban announced plans to team up with Italian eurosceptic leader Matteo Salvini to fight off pressure from the European Union to impose EU migration policy on member states. During the historic meeting in Milan, the newfound allies launched a scathing attack on French President Emmanuel Macron for failing to accept Hungary and Italy's standpoints on the issue. Mr Orban's spokesman Zoltán Kovács defended the two European leaders, telling the Today programme: "You have to name your opponent. "What we’ve seen coming from Monsieur Macron is indeed a pro-migration, a non-national identity-based Europe, the European United States which we strongly resist because it’s against the nations of Europe."

Mr Kovács accused the French President of "double standards" when it came to accepting different points of view from other EU member states, especially countries in Central Europe demanding a tougher migration policy from the bloc. He continued: "Nobody ever agreed that there is a common migration policy in the European Union. "Just to keep in mind that flatly rejecting a and swiping away Central European standpoints over illegal migration is not only unjust and unfair but it’s fully double standards. That’s what we see coming from France. "As a matter of fact, that’s what Mr Salvini announced that all that is coming from France in the name of more Europe is double standards and the rejection of other nations’ perspectives." Mr Kovács insisted that Brussels could not demand compliance from countries like Hungary and Italy until the bloc reigned in "bigger countries".

EU news: Zoltan Kovacs called out Macron for his "double standards

All that is coming from France in the name of more Europe is double standards Zoltan Kovacs