In an earlier post I covered those parts of Viktor Orbán’s last fortnightly radio interview that dealt with his and the V4’s role in blackballing the nominations of both the Christian Democratic Manfred Weber and the Socialist Frans Timmermans for the post of president of the European Commission. However, he also addressed other topic about which we will hear a lot in the future: the European Union’s decision to establish a “Justice, Rights and Values Fund.” In the next seven years it will provide €1.8 billion to civic groups, legal networks, public administrations, and universities that are involved in “protecting and promoting rights and values as enshrined in the EU Treaties, including by supporting civil society organizations, in order to sustain open, democratic, and inclusive societies.”
Can you imagine Viktor Orbán’s reaction to these lines? He was always certain that the European Union was in George Soros’s pocket. And now the Brussels bureaucrats don’t even try to hide their bias anymore. They openly acknowledge that their aim is the establishment of an “open society.” Moreover, a passage in the proposal said that in the event that “basic values are suddenly and seriously threatened in a member state, the European Commission could make an urgent call for support for civil society organizations to promote democratic dialogue.” Naturally, Fidesz MEPs voted against the proposal. As Kinga Gál (Fidesz MEP) wrote at the time, “the European Commission outsources those tasks which they cannot accomplish themselves and therefore in the future, besides George Soros, the European taxpayers, including Hungarians, will finance openly pro-immigration and anti-Hungarian pseudo civic groups.”
As Viktor Orbán explained in this recent interview, he has two issues with the European Union that must be settled. One involves Hungary’s reimbursement for the sizable amount of money the government spent erecting a fence along the Serbian-Hungarian border in September 2015 and, since then, for the continuous guarding of the border with thousands of policemen and soldiers. The government submitted a figure for the cost of the project that is enormously high and totally unverifiable, so the EU is unlikely ever to cough up all the money that Orbán wants.
The other battle will involve the financing of civic groups or NGOs. As far as the Hungarian regime is concerned, these civic groups, especially the ones that handle human rights issues, are threats to the existing political order. If he could, Viktor Orbán would get rid of all of them. Given his tone when discussing the matter in his interview, I suspect that he will continue with his two-pronged attack: to choke them financially and to make it impossible for them to function legally.
A demonstration organized by threatened civil groups in 2017
The “menu” of these radio interviews is à la carte. The journalist receives a list of topics from which she dutifully chooses what to ask the prime minister. So, out of the blue came a question about “how it would be possible to squeeze out or at least push further back the NGOs?” In no time we learned from Viktor Orbán that this fight with the European Union will be discussed on another “battleground.” What followed was perhaps the harshest and most threatening invective Orbán has ever uttered against the NGOs.
As in the past, he talked about NGOs as if they were involved exclusively with humanitarian issues related to refugees. Therefore, they are portrayed as props for pro-immigration politicians in Brussels. Orbán here, as usual, doesn’t tell the truth. His problem with these NGOs is not that they promote immigration but that they are critical of the illiberal political and legal system Fidesz has established in Hungary over the last nine years. They combat the Hungarian government’s illegal practices.
Orbán has succeeded in making the opposition parties politically powerless, but human rights lawyers and investigative journalists can still do a lot of harm by winning cases in the European Court of Human Rights and/or writing articles that uncover corruption and graft. The threat from Brussels is that the money allocated to these organizations will be more plentiful than before. Moreover, Hungarian NGOs will most likely be especially well provided for. Orbán in this interview was blunt about his plans: “I would like if in the future the European institutions would clearly state that NGOs cannot be financed from the EU budget. Allocating money for NGOs should be the national governments’ prerogative…. That must stop. This will be a serious fight.”
He uttered these words last Friday morning. A few hours later, the European Civic Forum (ECF), a transnational network that represents over 100 associations and NGOs across 27 countries in Europe, called upon EPP to review its candidate for vice-chair of the LIBE committee. Some 230 civic groups signed ECF’s letter objecting to the election of Balázs Hidvéghi, who was described as “one of the chief communicators under Mr. Orbán’s government in the past years. He has been particularly vocal during public smear campaigns in Hungary, specifically targeting the political opposition, civic NGOs and critical journalists.” This call to action, of course, provides Orbán with yet another piece of evidence that NGOs can be dangerous opponents due to their transnational network. It is embarrassing enough that Hidvéghi probably will not be one of LIBE’s deputy chairmen, but this letter, signed by NGOs from all over Europe, with a heavy concentration of NGOs from Hungary’s neighbors, must have made Orbán furious and even more determined to get rid of these pesky groups.
This battle over the NGOs will most likely drag on for months. It may reach a boiling point during the early months of Ursula von der Leyen’s tenure. I will be curious to see how she handles it.
Orban is already quite ill, soon he will recognize an enemy behind every roofbatten.
There’s somebody else who is ‘ill’ as well…across the pond. A POTUS pal close in thought. This one here is starting to really drink the European ‘30’s Kool-Aid. The nativist here is ramping it up with a ‘party’. ‘Charlottesville’ was a mere trial run bringing on the ‘cattle rustlin’ and getting the dogs to bark.
Trump is the same fool as Orbán. Did not he want to go where he came from?
Excellent article on this very good blog which I’ve discovered some time ago and enjoy very much.
Thank you for all the work you’re doing to tell people the truth.
I’d call that Orbán’s “leader syndrome”. He thinks that his opponents are centrally controlled by one person – just as he controls all his people!
Wanted to use a stronger expression than *people* but refrained from it.
Obviously the idea of democracy is a Fremdwort for the Fides honchos.
The obsession by autocrats with NGOs is a always a clear sign of the weakness and the irrelevance of the opposition parties (which is exactly what one expects in an autocracy), in other words the degraded state of democracy.
Since after a while there are no (real, potent, credible) opposition parties left to oppose in an autocracy (since they are all weak, divided, lack funding, leadership, and in Hungary they are basically all infilitared and controlled by Fidesz itself) the autocrat naturally turns its attention to the last representatives of resistance (resistance in any sense).
Or course, autocrats also love to single out and fight “enemies” (EU, Brussels, Soros, CEU, migrants, etc.) who are naturally unable to really fight back because they were not set up to wage prolonged political wars.
This way Orban can always both claim to win (since the other party is simply unable to fight back, see the EU, CEU, MTA etc.) and at the same time he never really wins (ie. in order to prolong the state of war, the autocrat always has to fight somebody because the mortal danger posed by an outside enemy is always part of the ruling ideological structure).
So now I’m wondering who/which institution will be Orbán’s next enemy …
A bit OT from O1G’s spox:
@zoltanspox
Unlike @ManfredWeber , @vonderleyen accepted our support and rose to victory. But still, we will look out for the interests of Hungarian people.
Cute, isn’t he?
so for “support” [which is unknown, except to the individual OV&Co’s themselves], they expect some sort of compensation…
but why didn’t they simply ask UvdL her personal opinion regarding the “Rule of Law – Art.7 against Hungary – Sargentini” report?
isn’t that important for OV&Co anymore, or do they already know?
or are they just building up “reasons” to make it possible for them to leave the EPP, before really being kicked out…
PS: in the debate tuesday before the voting, the main [unnamed] elephant in the room was “Art.7 – Hungary – EPP”!
Marty
Yes, such regimes depend on suppression and oppression, first they eliminate their real opponents* and then invent “enemies” to justify the suppression of all who may inform about their nefarious actions, reveal their malignant nature and the real status of the society. The worse the situation the more the oppression – this is the natural dynamics of dictatorships and here comes the next turn of the screw in Hu.
Yes, fascism it is folks!
* the weakness of the opposition resulted largely from the actions of the hardening fascist regime, to straighten up the self contradiction between the first two paras above.
Mind you that the opposition tried all sorts of action from legislative counter proposals to referendums, signature collection, demos, blockades, sit-ins, etc, all blocked, prohibited or punished by the regime. The was tied to the chair and the Orbàn mafia holds the proverbial baseball bat.
” …Hungary’s reimbursement for the sizable amount of money the government spent erecting a fence along the Serbian-Hungarian border….”
Orban mimicks Trump … Brussels is the new Mexico
The first figure Orbàn lied about was a dozen billion (just to facilitate the budget amendment, afair) now he fakes 650 + billion, the ever lying toad.
Referred EP vote was a Commission proposal in the “Establishing the Rights and Values programme” 2019.Jan.17, details of vote:
Result: +426 / 0=45 / -152
split-up of groups in EP
+for: S&D +98% / Greens +100% / ALDE + 100% / EPP +82%
0=draw: GUE +39% and -39%
-against: ECR -77% / EFDD -67% / ENF -100% / NI -71%
The 18% EPP members who did not vote in favor of the proposal:
0=abstained: all 5 Bulgarians, 3 various
-against: all 10 OV&Co, all 5 Slovenians, 6 various, 2 corrections (intended +, but pushed -)
details of vote at https://term8.votewatch.eu/en/term8-establishing-the-rights-and-values-programme-draft-legislative-resolution-vote-commission-proposal-o.html#/##vote-tabs-list-2 [click tabs and/or links in page for even further details]
Again this raises: WTF are OV&Co still tolerated in the EPP [even when currently suspended]???
So more than a hundred EP members were missing?
Anyway this is a good example of reality – what the Fidesz Fascists would call the “Extreme Left” voting against them.
Don’t think this will change with the new president Ursula – and the other “leaders” to be elected.
When it’s all done we’ll have a look at the persons and what they stand for. As I see it there won’t be many representatives of the right wing populists in higher positions.
“As I see it there won’t be many representatives of the right wing populists in higher positions.”
We already know that we have one vice president of the EP without party and home country. We know about the committees. The presidents of commission, council and central bank and the “foreign minister” are no populists at all, neither are the candidates for EPPO. Remains the commission. The government of every country will suggest one person for taking place in the commission. As we know where right wing populists are in power we can make an educated guess.
PS: checking the above vote per country shows following
For 22 of the 28 countries absolute majorities (>+50%) in favor
3 countries showed absolute majorities against: “leading” the against vote OV&Co’s Hungary with overall -71% against, followed by Slovenia (-63%) and the [soon exiting] UK (-61%)
remaining 3 countries (Slovakia, Cyprus and Bulgaria) didn’t show absolute majorities [because of abstentions and very split voting]
The EU support for democracy/NGO initiative is a great sign.
However (again)
the EU’s functional and confidence crisis is the main problem to be resolved before it metastasizes into other areas/confrontations.
Yes,
” the bloc is rived with internal divisions stoked by rising nationalism and increasingly entangled in power struggles with Russia, China, the United States, Iran and other nations…” and most of these viruses were brought in/rekindled by the EE new members.
A reform in the EU is a must, just as is getting tougher with the thieves, moles and fascists. More democracy has never been the way to go in a crisis; Majority voting, two tier union or no union are the option beyond the short term.
If the Russians or the Chinese want to assume (again) the economic burden of political influence/domination of disgruntled or condemned EE -exiters, let them do it in earnest, as they are gaining influence already while the EU is footing the bill, eg. the Orbàn regime being a prime example.
Interesting article on the above:
https://mailchi.mp/visegradinsight/chinas-influence-on-europe-and-a-civil-revolution-1114407?e=c9ee6575ad
Re: ‘A reform in the EU is a must, just as is getting tougher with the thieves, moles and fascists. More democracy has never been the way to go in a crisis; Orban’s vehemence towards NGO’s shouldn’t be unexpected. NGO’s in a way are vehicles to monitor public accountability and procedures by governing bodies. They are reminders that someone is watching what is being done and how it holds to standards. This shouldn’t be a worry in a country that calls itself ‘democratic’. But now it will be well on its way to become a ‘serious fight.’ That in itself shows how off the beam the country is when it comes to their position in what is essentially a democratic political community. They operate on illogic. If democracy is considered an open, give and take project with a ‘fluid’ structure to generate compromise Orban country is in the wrong club big time. They are not in the least interested in further democratizing its or the EU’s politics and institutions. They see the great benefits of running an autocracy and won’t give it up as the country is now in a ‘private ruler’ heyday. And that is why the EU cannot… Read more »
Eva really should balance her comment relating to the European Court of Human Rights with its problems of enforcement. In particular I would recommend Eva’s readers look at a report titled “The execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights” (https://www.echr.coe.int/LibraryDocs/DG2/HRFILES/DG2-EN-HRFILES-19(2008).pdf) particularly pages 62-65 of that report. In 2015 when Russia passed a law allowing the Constitutional Court of Russia to decide whether or not to comply with judgements made by international human rights courts the ECHR was strategically weakened. We should recall the EU as part of its trading relationship with Russia required it to submit to the ECHR and Russia agreed. Germany and other EU nations did absolutely nothing in response and continued to import natural gas and other raw materials. Russia has become a serial offender of European Court judgments since it passed its law in December 2015 making compliance with international judgments optional. Russia is the only ECHR signatory to pass a law effectively nullifying its authority, but it is not the only offender. Turkey, Poland, Moldova and others have selectively ignored scores of ECHR rulings over the past decade. Hungary has evaded enforcement of rulings Fidesz and Orban have disapproved. For example Hungary… Read more »
Istvan, I’ll be brief. This is not about two wrongs make a right, or “bezzeg Amerikában verik a feketéket”, sometimes Americans genuinely are unaware about the sh*t that goes down on a federal level or in a different state. In this particular question, even if to keep paper form, Hungary deals asylum applications better than America, because the judiciary does not belong under the executive (it also can’t exactly because of the EU and other international commitments) when it comes to rulings, to this date Hungary did not deport their own citizens into Serbia as illegals, whereas America did, the poor schmuck was found in Guatemala, where it was determined he was American. What is way worse that thanks to the Bush administration’s War on Terror, the US stepped out of the Treaty regulating Consular Relations, with the main goal to protect American soldiers from being convicted for crimes they commit abroad. An unfortunate side effect of that is that when a foreigner was arrested on US soil, they enjoyed the constitutional protection of both America and their home countries, including notifying their consulate and providing interpreters. Since then (but even before that) American law enforcement doesn’t keep the State… Read more »
If you are attempting to shame me for being a US citizen it is not worth the effort. I do not have to apologize for the reality of many US policies and practices. I have opposed many of these polices since the end of my military service, which required by rule that I not do so publicly. But Parhuzamos Kapcsolas since you were repeating the many flaws in US human rights practices, you missed a very major issue. The U.S. Constitution, Article VI provides that ” … all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” On the other hand, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that customary international law is “part of our law, and must be ascertained and administered by the courts of justice of appropriate jurisdiction, as often as questions of right depending upon it are duly presented for their determination.” So the judgements issued by international bodies are not really binding against US citizens and legal residents of… Read more »
Orwell incarnated:
Amended media law, effective August 1, 2019:
26. § (1)
The important [“jelentős befolyásoló erővel rendelkező”] television channels are not allowed to give news for more than 45 minutes in prime time (from 6 PM to 9 PM), including commercials.
Thus the only still independent television channel, RTL Klub cannot inform the public too widely about the shenanigans of the ruling clique in the future.
The important radio channels are not allowed to give news for more than 45 minutes in the morning (from 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM).
https://www.parlament.hu/irom41/06355/06355.pdf
Old rule
vs new rule for television channels:
morning prime time:
minimum 15 minutes,
vs
no news is needed;
evening prime time:
minimum 20 minutes, maximum as-long-as-you-wish long news,
vs
minimum 20 minutes, maximum 45 minute long news program.
Old rule
vs new rule for radio stations:
morning prime time:
minimum 15 minutes, maximum as-long-as-you-wish long news,
vs
minimum 10 minutes, maximum 45 minute long news program.
Tabloid “news” inside the news programs:
maximum 20%
vs
maximum 35%.
https://www.parlament.hu/irom41/06355/06355.pdf
https://azonnali.hu/cikk/20190605_tobb-bulvar-lehet-a-hiradokban-es-vege-a-pornotilalomnak-igy-modositjak-roganek-a-mediatorvenyt
Amended penal code:
Almost no crime can be judged as organized crime.
Net effect: ruling party thieves, if prosecuted at all, have to be judged leniently, effective retroactively.
https://nepszava.hu/3043543_jo-nagy-kiskaput-nyitott-a-kormanytobbseg-nagymenoknek-es-bunszervezeteknek
Orban with one of those suspected EU money pilfering comrades six days ago:
The EU has paid 1.5 million euros for a “military logistical center” near the town of Szerencs.
Opposition MP Hadhazy went to see the “center”.
It is disguised so well that there are only weeds and bees in its place.
The “teleported” military installation on photo:
http://www.korrupcioinfo.hu/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG-1348-768×576.jpg
http://www.korrupcioinfo.hu/a_szerencsi_teleport/
https://orszagszerte.atlatszo.hu/hadhazy-fantom-hadilogisztikai-kozpont-szerencsen-eu-s-penzbol/
3 possibilities:
1) people are unaware of this kind of corruption
2) people are aware of it but don’t think it’s important (after all it’s “only” EU taxpayers’ money)
3) people are aware of it, think it’s quite important but don’t trust the opposition to act differently/ do a better job?
EU prosecutor anyone? Or at least get the EU to police how its own money is spent and demand higher standards…
Searched more info about the companies named:
Licet ’95 Kft:
managing directors: Nyíri Zsolt [1957/06/02, Miskolc] and Nyíri Zsolt [1988/06/15, Bp.XIII]
owner: Nyíri Zsolt [1957/06/02]
MIL-EXIM Kft’:
managing director/owner: Csala József [1942/11/24] still managing strong…
Note: mayor of Szerencs is Nyíri Tibor [since 2018.Jul, before that he was deputy mayor]; possible family connection [to Licet ’95 people] should be checked!
more at https://24.hu/belfold/2019/07/17/felmilliard-eu-tamogatas-allam-nem-letezo-haditechnikai-beruhazas-szerencs-balatonfuzfo/
July 5: The Hungarian state announced on the internet an “auction” for a package of nine pieces of state-owned real estate, six of them in posh Buda neighborhoods, including a former children’s hospital.
July 10: The “package” was sold to the only bidder at the initial price. The Buda villas with parks were bought by the unknown bidder for about 300 (no more zeros!) euros/m^2.
https://e-arveres.mnv.hu/index-lejart_arveresek-ingatlan.html?.actionId=action.auction.AuctionSummaryAction&FRAME_SKIP_DEJAVU=1&auctionId=19460#tabs-teteladatok
https://www.napi.hu/ingatlan/allami-vagyon-eladas-svabhegyi-korhaz-mnv.688079.html
The bidder is Strohmann … mmmeee …
The full name is Strohmann von Huariutoasque
I thought Mészáros, but who is Huariutoasque?
Tappanch
The price of almost 1 mil ft/sq m is quite acceptable as the buildings require extensive renovation, although the blocks of land are very generous. Theoretically there are building restrictions too.
These properties have been for sale for many years.
Let’s see, if we can, whether and how the actual payment will be made.
IMO It’s a good buy, but not the usual Fid robbery like the more than 100 properties in central Bud, 5th distr. were sold for less than 50% value.
To clarify the above: the price if 1 mil / sq.m. refers to built space, not the properties subject hereof. I don’t know how Tappanch calculated the 100 k ft price as the package (I suspect deliberately) contains properties with different built/land ratios, in various places with great price differentials, etc making the calculations very difficult.
@Observer
“The price of almost 1 mil ft/sq m”
You are off by an order of magnitude
1 EUR = 325.6 HUF
Real estate: (price in HUF)/(# of m^2) = HUF/m^2 = EUR/m^2
Bp. XII. 9555 hrsz: 2130000000/ 25355 = 84007.10 = 258.01 [Béla király út 20.]
Bp. XII. 9556/1 hrsz: 238000000/ 2127 = 111894.70 = 343.66 [Béla király út 18/B.]
Bp. XII. 9556/3 hrsz: 369000000/ 4120 = 89563.11 = 275.07 [Béla király út 18/A.]
Bp. XII. 9556/4 hrsz: 161000000/ 1795 = 89693.59 = 275.47 [Laura út 1.]
Bp. XIV 39529/2 hrsz: 85090000/ 1445 = 58885.81 = 180.85 [Ganz utca 15.]
Bp. II 13550/42/A/36: 184150000/ 396 = 465025.30 =1428.21 [Öv utca]
Fertőszentm. 0239 : 83185000/176319 = 471.79 = 1.45 (14,500 EUR/hectare)
Gárdony 7509/15 hrsz: 105537000/ 46453 = 2271.91 = 6.98
Megyaszó 0136 hrsz: 159639000/194917 = 819.01 = 2.52
https://e-arveres.mnv.hu/index-lejart_arveresek-ingatlan.html?.actionId=action.auction.AuctionSummaryAction&FRAME_SKIP_DEJAVU=1&auctionId=19460#tabs-teteladatok
https://e-arveres.mnv.hu/attachment/1/56858/Hirdetm%C3%A9ny%20Lak%C3%A1sfejleszt%C5%91%20csomag%201.pdf
https://e-arveres.mnv.hu/attachment/1/56855/tulajdoni%20lapok%20%C3%B6sszes%C3%ADtve.pdf
This is hilarious if you know Hungarian !
A journalistos sykophántēs (συκοφάντης) shows up his best figs to curry f(l)avor with his handlers, but the interviewee refutes his spurious arguments one by one.
The television “journalist” of the formerly opposition-leaning channel ATV tries to convince a doctor in vain that the health care is getting better and better in Hungary, since “our health minister says so”.
Watch:
http://www.atv.hu/videok/video-20190718-van-eleg-szakdolgozo-a-mentoszolgalatnal
Orban must be happy:
Ursula von der Leyen:
“She indicated a more nuanced approach towards states such as Poland and Hungary, which have been brazenly challenging the EU consensus on issues such as migration, the rule of law and press freedom.
“I think we have to properly listen to the arguments.[…]””
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/18/ursula-von-der-leyen-no-deal-brexit-would-be-massive-blow-for-both-sides
The EU will never change, tappanch.
Same old impotent softies.
This is in their DNA – plus no real powers.
We are back to square one: the EU is basically powerless and it was consciously set up this way.
I did not expect anything else.
I’m afraid, Marty, that ex-communist countries are mean-spirited and know only ‘weak’ and ‘strong’. If you’re strong,
you get your ass kissed; if you’re weak, the others climb over you and strip you, if not kill you, of your possesions.
For Democracy, you must have accomodation and a give and take…this does not exist in ex-communist nations.
For that matter, Trump, probably without knowing it, is trying to set up the same thing in the US.
Von der Leyen said the “SZ”: “In the Central and Eastern European countries, many feel that they are not fully accepted. If we guide the debates as sharply as we lead them, it also helps countries and peoples believe they are meant to be whole when criticizing individual deficiencies. “She added,” We all need to learn the full rule of law is always our goal, but no one is perfect. “Financial sanctions would only qualify as” the very last resort after many stages that come before “.
… but no one is perfect … after many stages that come before … says the paper-tiger.
https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/debatte-um-rechtsstaatlichkeit-in-europa-von-der-leyen-kritisiert-bisherigen-umgang-mit-oestlichen-eu-staaten/24677486.html