Balázs Hankó, the minister of culture and innovation, said on Tuesday that Brussels "clearly aims at withering Europe because it is only interested in its own power."

Hankó told the Hungarian press in Brussels that instead of peace and families, Brussels supported "the war, death and migration".

He said Brussels violated European fundamental rights by excluding Hungarian researchers from the Horizon research program. Rather than committing to Europe's interests, Brussels had stood up against Europe and European families, he added. At the same time, Hungary had stood up for Hungarian families, he said.

Concerning Tuesday's conference on innovation, education and demographics at the House of Hungary in Brussels, Hanko said there was a "demographic winter in Europe" with 600,000 fewer babies born, but the population is growing only as a result of illegal migration.

"As a result of Brussels' ill-fated sanctions policies, Brusselites took 2.5 million forints (EUR 6,250) out of Hungarian families' pockets in recent years," he added.