Leaked EP delegation report raises serious concerns about Hungary

A seven-member delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education visited Hungary between 2 and 4 November last year. The delegation met with government and opposition politicians, heads of state authorities, journalists, representatives of educational and cultural institutions and NGOs. The report on the visit was recently completed.

The report, obtained by Népszava, expresses serious concerns about the state of the media, education and culture in Hungary.

Népszava also shared an excerpt from the report:

The vast majority of our counterparts described a tension-filled, highly sensitive and politicised working environment, characterised by an atmosphere of unrest, leading to self-censorship among potential critics of government policies.

Serious allegations

According to the newspaper, the delegation’s report raises serious concerns about media regulation, academic freedom, the rule of law, and fundamental rights. Reportedly, the delegation also questions the independence of the Media Authority and criticises the creation of KESMA (Central European Press and Media Foundation). According to the report, the creation of the foundation proves that independent media in Hungary are being dismantled and forced to serve the government. Furthermore, the report criticises the fact that the public service media do not give space to those who hold views contrary to those of the government. It also criticises the fact that advertising by the state and state-owned companies is mostly confined to the pro-government press.

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The delegation also criticises the government’s constant centralisation of decision-making in education and cultural policy. In some organisations, they say, government influence is growing, which is accompanied by a loss of autonomy for teachers and institutions.

Provocative questions?

The report allegedly states that, according to the delegation members, “the Hungarian government intentionally divides the media into pro-government and opposition media […].”

András Koltay, President of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority and the Media Council, told the delegation during the meeting that he believed the media couldn’t be considered independent. He said that the media had always followed a political line.

Although the newspaper did not provide a source, according to their information, Koltay described some of the questions as provocative and asked the members of the delegation not to come to Hungary again.

Index recalled that the government had already indicated at the time of the visit that the delegation had arrived with preconceived ideas and had asked inappropriate questions. Fidesz MEP Andrea Bocskor said after the visit that it was already clear what conclusions would be reached in Brussels. She said she thought the meetings were one-sided and the questions were often biased.

Koltay’s reaction to the Népszava article

András Koltay reacted to the Népszava article in a statement sent to MTI (Hungarian Telegraphic Office). In his response, he stressed that the fundamental criterion for the independence of the media is that journalists respect the professional ethical norms of the media. These norms include, for example, that if they write an article about someone, they must give them the opportunity to express their own point of view. As he wrote, this failed to happen this time, as it did for all the other media reporting on the case.

He added that he could not comment on the content of the report, because they did not receive it. He also said that during the meeting everyone had communicated in a polite tone. However, there was one member of the delegation who asked him to take a position on a political issue that was not related to the work of the Media Authority. At the end of the conversation, the delegation member made personal remarks about him, which Koltay rejected. He also explained that he had not asked the delegation not to come to Hungary anymore. “On the contrary, I would encourage them to come as often as possible, and to engage in more discussions, in order to promote mutual understanding,” Koltay said.

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Source: nepszava.hu, index.hu