As if European Union leaders didn’t know what has been taking place in Hungary over the past decade.
Since his election as prime minister back in 2010, Viktor Orbán has systematically undermined the rule of law, weakened the judiciary, grabbed control of large parts of the media, and curbed independent academic institutions, such as the Central European University.
As if that was not enough, he has demonized refugees, built a barbed-wire fence to keep them from crossing into the country, and denied nongovernmental organizations and human rights activists access to any detained refugees or migrants, for example to help them file asylum requests.
All these actions are being taken by a country that is a member of the EU and NATO. Both organizations are supposed to be based on upholding freedom and fundamental rights, although NATO’s non-record on speaking out about Turkey’s erosion of democracy is next to shameful.
Orbán, a dissident during the communist era, has railed against the EU, in particular its commitment to democratic values. For him, his political ideology is about creating an “illiberal” democracy based on nationalism and a conservatism based on select Christian values. Forget the fact that an illiberal democracy is a contradiction in terms. Forget too that defending national sovereignty doesn’t have to mean weakening the rule of law.
Not content with chiseling away at Hungary’s democratic institutions—and knowing that the EU and even the European People’s Party (EPP), the European Parliament group that represents conservative parties throughout the EU, were too weak or cowardly to rein in his ambitions—Orbán has now gone a stage further.
On March 30, 2020, the Hungarian parliament passed a bill giving Orbán sweeping new powers to deal with the coronavirus pandemic—as if he didn’t already have enough powers.
In practice, parliament has been stripped of its legislative authority. Elections cannot be held during the state of emergency that was declared on March 11. Anyone spreading fake news or disinformation about the virus faces prison terms of up to five years.
“At the end of the emergency, all powers will be fully restored,” Orbán told parliament, which is dominated by his conservative Fidesz party.
In introducing such measures, Orbán has become the first EU leader to exploit the pandemic for his own political ends. And he will not be the last—unless other European and NATO leaders sanction him.
Until now, the most influential politician in Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, held back from expelling Orbán from the EPP, or openly criticizing him, or calling for some kind of economic or political sanctions in order to salvage Hungarian democracy.
Merkel’s spokesman sent out a statement: “We will do everything that is necessary to protect our citizens and overcome the crisis, while preserving our European values and way of life.” Now isn’t that going to have an effect on Orbán!
As for Didier Reynders, the EU’s justice commissioner, he tweeted the following: “@EU_Commission evaluates the emergency measures taken by Member States with regard to fundamental rights. This is particularly the case for the law passed today in #Hungary concerning the state of emergency and new criminal penalties for the dissemination of false information.” Such a bland reaction by the European Commission makes a mockery of what the EU stands for.
The EU could have taken steps in the past to rein in Orbán. It could have suspended Hungary’s voting rights in the Council of the European Union, which represents the member states. That was always going to be difficult because some of Hungary’s allies, notably Poland, would have vetoed it.
It could have reduced or imposed conditionality on the EU’s cohesion funds, which are aimed at reducing economic disparities between member states. In 2018, cohesion funds amounted to 3.5 percent of Hungary’s GNI. And some of those funds have been misused by Orbán. Yet despite that, the EU didn’t take action.
It’s hard to see Brussels taking action now. This is because the EU and most of the bloc’s leaders can only deal with one crisis at a time. Containing the coronavirus pandemic, not challenging Viktor Orbán’s powers, is the number one priority.
Yet even if the EU doesn’t take any kind of action against Orbán, surely meaningful and strong statements by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Merkel, and other leaders are needed. And just as important is the reaction by NATO and the United States.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump is a great fan of Orbán, one cannot expect the White House to be too bothered about the erosion of democracy in an EU country. And, anyway, Trump really doesn’t have much sympathy or respect for the EU as an organization because of its strong regulatory powers related to trade and competition and its values system.
So far, the State Department hasn’t issued any comments. At least, Eliot L. Engel, chairman of the committee on foreign affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives, criticized Orbán’s new powers, given to him “under the guise of measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In a strongly worded statement, Engel wrote that Orbán “is making a blatant power grab in the face of the worst global health crisis in recent history. This legislation marginalizes the Hungarian parliament and allows Prime Minister Orbán to rule by decree like a dictator.”
And he continued: “Such a serious affront to democracy anywhere is outrageous, and particularly within a NATO ally and EU member. Those organizations are founded on their members’ shared respect for freedom and democratic values. It is particularly egregious that Prime Minister Orbán attempts to capitalize on the suffering of his own citizens for personal gain.”
This is the kind of statement that NATO and the EU should sign onto. And then the EU, pushed by Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, should put pressure on those member states, including Poland, who oppose sanctioning Hungary.
If Orbán can exploit the coronavirus pandemic to destroy Hungarian democracy, the EU and NATO should quit using the pandemic as an excuse not to challenge Orbán.
Comments(4)
After reading Judy. Dempsey's opinion piece on Hungary, you get the impression that it is a dictatorship and that the European Union won't act. Before I continue, let me point out that I am a journalist, working the past 23 years at Deutsche Welle-TV (DW-TV) as a contract employee and I also work for the English-language program on a contract basis at Hungary's Public Broadcaster M-1 (the MTVA network). I am also sometimes on the BBC. I am also apolitical. I am a Hungarian citizen who was born and raised in Canada where I graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism and worked for both the CTV and CBC networks as a producer. In 1994 I won the annual "President's Award" at the CBC for being the best news producer at the daily noon-hour show we had called "MIDDAY". Since 1996 I have been based in both Berlin for DW-TV and in Budapest. I also broke major news stories for CTV, CBC and DW-TV. I have been living in Budapest on-and-off the past 23 years and almost exclusively the past eight months. Neither I nor my many colleagues and friends from various countries who are based in Budapest feel a single ounce of dictatorship here. First of all to correct your piece: various court decisions have ruled some Hungarian government moves as unconstitutional. There may or may not be some constitutional court judges who may support the government, but I think you might find that in many countries around the world. Regarding the CEU, all of the foreign-based universities in Hungary (well over 20 of them) signed on to the Hungarian government's new Education Law that stipulates you cannot give, for example, an American degree if you do not have an institution in the United States. At the time of the decree that was not the case of the CEU. There was also a very interesting interview on the BBC's Hardtalk show with host Stephen Sackur who pointed out to the dean of the CEU that the CEU has not been closed down and that classes continue. Regarding Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's take on accepting refugees, I was here in September of 2015 when 350,000 refugees flooded the country, eventually filling up entire train stations while Hungary waited for an answer from Austria whether those people could continue on. The confusion and crisis was caused largely by various western governments and Hungary was on the receiving end. During those days I thought Hungary was left high-and-dry. Could it, should it, have handled the refugees better? Definitely, yes, but then again to say that it was anti-refugee shows ignorance. During the Yugoslavian civil war in the early '90s Hungary let in 50,000 refugees (mainly Bosnians and Croats). After Germany attacked Poland in 1939, Hungary let in - and protected - thousands of Polish refugees much to the chagrin of Adolf Hitler. And having watched very disturbing visuals a few weeks ago of Greek border police beating refugees from Turkish refugee camps (mainly Syrians) trying to get into Greece, I thought to myself: What if that were Hungary? The world media would have a field day. A couple of years ago I worked on a film called "Curtiz" shot here in Budapest where I met quite a few ex-pats from English-speaking countries who are based in Budapest where they pursue acting careers in international films shot in the city and other parts of the country, and I asked them how they felt, and they all said that they have had arguments with family members back home, saying that life in Hungary is not the way some in the western media portray it. For example, you can say what you want. Never once have I been asked to "not" say something in my Intros on camera. And the one time I did see something that was false - and it was - I said loud and clear that that will not go on air and it didn't. That was three years ago. Finally, I read the entire text of the "Act on the Containment of the Coronavirus", and it clearly states that new measures will be implemented that only relate to health issues, nothing else. That does, indeed, include that anyone purposely spreading false news will be prosecuted. That's because there has been some very disturbing false news online. As for the E-U, Hungary definitely faces an Article 7 procedure by the European Commission in which it may lose its voting rights, among other things. That has not been put to the side. Is Hungary perfect? No. When I find a perfect country that will be my scoop of the century.
Thank You very much for writing this article, which would be even more helpful, if it described the cause of Orban´s contemporary influence in Hungary. For it is obvious, that it couldn´t be explained as being mostly and merely the result of the effort of his propaganda, or the one of his allies. And it is clearly one of the most relevant point of his strength in the internal Hungarian sphere.
Brussels destroys democracy of souvereinity of member states would be a way more fitting article. Besides that the Hungarian people voted for him and want exactly more nationalism and a christian based value system implemented. Who gives non Hungarians the right to tell them what to do in THEIR country.
Lots of people spread fake news about Hungary. These people do not care about Hungarians and do not care about Hungary. Why would you call the protective measures taken by the government against the covid-19 pandemic anti-democratic? The measures are similar to measures taken by other countries across Europe and across the world. People who spread fake news that could cause many deaths should be put in prison for many years. Spreading fake news about anti-pandemic measures is dangerous.
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