Politico: Viktor Orbán likes to talk big

The German-owned political newspaper Politico published an article titled ’ Viktor Orbán’s battle for EU funds reveals existential clash’. They write about Orbán’s wide-ranging reforms. The reforms that the Hungarian government has been producing since the EU “shut off the money tap”. That is, since the EU blocked billions of euros from Hungary.

“Wide-ranging reforms”

Since Brussels turned off the EU’s money spigot, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has embarked on a wide-ranging reform agenda. Some EU officials say that money from Europe is the only real tool to enforce democratic norms. However, whether such reforms are possible under the current government remains an open question, Politico writes.

“The Hungarian prime minister loves to talk big,” the political newspaper writes. It adds that Orbán likes to present himself on the international stage as a leading voice in conservative Christian politics. However, “at home, his power rests on a far more basic concept: patronage,” the writer of the article adds.

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Every road leads to the Fidesz

Orbán has succeeded in creating a system where if a citizen wants to do anything (a road construction contract, a project for a village, a job for a grandchild – a few examples from Politico), the answer lies directly or indirectly with Fidesz.

Now, however, the EU has made access to billions of euros for the post-Covid economic recovery conditional on a long series of reforms. Meanwhile, suspending billions more from regular EU funds over rule of law concerns.

“Corruption is part of the methodology of the government,” said Miklós Ligeti, legal director at Transparency International Hungary, to Politico.

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Some money is granted, but it’s still not enough for Hungary

The post-Covid recovery aid has quite a tight deadline. It can be called before the end of 2023. At the same time, EUR 6.3 billion of regular funds have been suspended for breaches of the rule of law. The money can be disbursed if Hungary can prove that it has indeed implemented the reforms it promised it would.

The compromise, under which the EU approved a plan for EUR 5.8 billion in grants for Hungary, relieved some of the pressure on Hungary’s ailing economy. However, the country still needs more money.

Ordinary Hungarians are feeling the pain of high energy costs and skyrocketing food prices, with even the head of the country’s central bank criticising his own government’s economic policies, Politico concludes.

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Source: Politico.eu