The Vice-President of RENEW EUROPE/MEP of Momentum Movement, Mrs. Katalin Cseh talks about european politics with Chrissie - Rania Papadopoulos, Markopoulos Ch. Thomas and neagnomi.gr

The Vice-President of RENEW EUROPE/MEP of Momentum Movement, Mrs. Katalin Cseh talks about european politics with Chrissie - Rania Papadopoulos, Markopoulos Ch. Thomas and neagnomi.gr
Katalin Cseh (born 29 June 1988) is a Canadian-born Hungarian physician and liberal politician. She was elected as a Momentum Movement (part of the Renew Europe party group) Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in the 2019 parliamentary election. 

Cseh stood as a candidate for Momentum Movement in the 2019 European parliamentary election. She was first on her party's list, and was elected as one of its two MEPs (the other being Anna Júlia Donáth) in Hungary. In the European Parliament, she is one of the eight vice-chairs of the Renew Europe political group. Cseh is a member of the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy (since 2019) and the Subcommittee on Human Rights (since 2020). Since 2021, she has been part of the Parliament's delegation to the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

In addition to her committee assignments, Cseh is part of the parliament's delegation for relations with the United States. She is also a supporter of the European Parliament Intergroup on Anti-Corruption,the MEP Alliance for Mental Health and the MEPs Against Cancer group. Katalin Cseh is a true European Politician Leading Lady. A medical doctor by training, the Renew Europe deputy entered politics because she says her native Hungary had “lost its way”. Part of the first Hungarian generation to grow up after the transition from Communism to democracy, Cseh says she and her peers can never again be locked in a regime that tries to drag the Member State back in time.

What does EU and Europe mean for you?

Europe is our most important ally in this democratic fight, that is why I was drawn to European politics. We are the Erasmus Generation, we are European Natives. Our common European Values of the rule of law, solidarity and openness are in our DNA.

Which is the form of the new crisis in EU?

The rule of law crisis is intensifying and the EU’s actions have been timid and slow, even though critics warned that doing too little, too late would only embolden autocrats. We now see worrying trends developing not only in Poland, but also in Bulgaria and Slovenia”

Tell us about the most important conflict in your country?

Many young people are leaving Hungary because they are sick of the fact that careers are decided based on political loyalty, sick of hateful propaganda and sick of the fact that universities or newspapers can be shut down from one day to the next. I was actually one of these people, I also moved abroad. What made me return and enter politics is that I realised we have the power to fight back. That is why we founded our party, Momentum.”

-- A big detail! While most of us have experienced the SARS-COVID-19 pandemic in the comfort of our own homes, Cseh experienced the crisis on the healthcare frontlines, having returned to medicine in the midst of the emergency in Europe. -

How has the medi-experience impacted you as a policymaker?

It has strengthened the commitment to help those who help the rest of us. I was deeply moved by the heroism and dedication I witnessed day after day. We have to make sure that those workers, who keep our societies going by risking their health and safety, will get the help and appreciation they deserve, even after the COVID storm subsides. 

Clapping is great, but it won’t get food on the table. Doctors, nurses, cleaners, shop clerks, delivery workers, bus drivers and other essential workers are the cornerstones of our societies; it’s horrifying to think that so many who put themselves on the frontline to help the rest of us do not even earn a living wage. The experience on the pandemic frontline also gave her a deeper appreciation of gestures of european solidarity.

In conclusion...

As an MEP for the Momentum Movement in Hungary and a Vice-President of RENEW EUROPE, Cseh has been vocal in her opposition to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. She explains that she and her fellow Momentum deputy Anna Júlia Donáth were elected by their constituents to raise Europe’s awareness to what she calls “this existential crisis”, to show Europe that Hungary does not just mean Orbán, and to be the voice of European citizens whose rights are being trampled on.