George Soros

Fidesz: Soros’s people ‘pulling the strings of EC leaders’

Fidesz believes George Soros’s people “are pulling the strings of the European Commission’s leading politicians” and demands an explanation, Fidesz MEP Tamás Deutsch said at a press conference on an unrelated topic in Budapest on Saturday.

Deutsch noted that daily Magyar Idők learnt that US billionaire Soros had met for talks with the EU leaders on at least 20 occasions.

Soros held talks with Jean-Claude Juncker, Frans Timmermans, Emmanuel Macron and Dimitris Avramopoulos, he added.

Deutsch said it was “absurd” that a person claiming to be a philanthropist who represents the official viewpoint of not a single country can meet with EU leaders more frequently than the prime minister or head of state of any EU member state.

Fidesz will ask for explanations, in writing, on the subject matter of all of these meetings, he added.

As we wrote on Friday, Foreign Minister Szijjártó said it was no accident that demonstrations against governments that oppose migration were being organised around the same time and in the same manner in central, southern and south-eastern Europe. Read more here: MAY EP ELECTIONS MOST IMPORTANT YET, SAYS HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

January 13, 2019

May EP elections most important yet, says Hungarian foreign minister

Never have the stakes of European Parliamentary elections been as high as they will be this May, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday.

As the polls show, immigration is clearly the central issue of the elections, and it continues to be the most threatening challenge faced by the European Union, Szijjártó told public news channel M1.

These elections will be the platform Europeans can use to decide whether they entrust pro-migration or anti-migration parties with shaping the future of Europe,

the minister said. In Hungary, the people have had multiple opportunities to express their views on this matter, he added.

Szijjártó said there were only two parties in Hungary that oppose immigration: the co-ruling Fidesz and Christian Democrats.

“The rest have basically signed on with George Soros and signed up for the platforms of the parties that support immigration,” he said.

He said the traditional division of parties was being replaced by a new division based on specific issues — primarily immigration. Both the pro- and anti-immigration parties are looking for ways to cooperate internationally, he added.

Szijjártó said

it was no accident that demonstrations against governments that oppose migration were being organised around the same time and in the same manner in central, southern and south-eastern Europe.

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JOBBIK AGAINST ALL-OPPOSITION COOPERATION AT EP ELECTIONS

Conservative opposition Jobbik is against the cooperation of all opposition parties before the European Parliamentary elections because votes would be cast for party lists and “such cooperation stands without an example” in Europe, the party said in a statement, read details HERE.

January 11, 2019

Fidesz-KDNP only anti-migration force in Hungary, says Fidesz communication chief

Only Fidesz opposes migration in Hungary, the ruling party’s communications chief said on Thursday.

Balázs Hidvéghi told a press conference that the “entire opposition, including Jobbik,” had joined billionaire George Soros.

Referring to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s press conference earlier in the day, Hidvéghi said the issue of migration would dominate the European parliamentary election in May. Read more about the international press conference HERE.

Instead of aspiring for power, the opposition attacks the government and Orbán, “the figurehead of anti-migration policy in Europe”.

“The Hungarian opposition represents Brussels in Hungary,”

Hidvéghi said. “We need politicians who represent Hungary in Brussels.” Only Fidesz does this, he added, protecting Hungary against migration and preserving its sovereignty.

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Hopefully, he said,

the European Parliament would have a majority of anti-migration forces after the May election.

January 11, 2019

Fidesz: Anti-government protesters on Soros’s payroll

Anti-government Demonstration in Budapest

Among the participants in recent demonstrations against new overtime regulations were organisations on US billionaire George Soros’s payroll, the parliamentary group leader of ruling Fidesz said in public Kossuth Radio on Sunday.

Saturday’s demonstration was already part of the campaign for the European parliamentary elections in May, in which voters will get a chance to decide if anti-migration forces should become stronger or weaker in the EP, Máté Kocsis said. Read more here about the demonstration.

The parties that participated in the protest support migration and Soros, so it is clear that “George Soros has lined up his people in Hungary for the battle”, Kocsis said.

“The opposition parties’ idea to run on a joint list in the European election means that there will be an anti-migration list where votes for Fidesz-Christian Democrats can be cast and there will be a ‘Soros list’ for those who support migration and Soros,” he said.

Anti-government protests are under way in several countries around Europe where the governments are anti-migration, he said.

The opposition parties’ actions in Parliament at the vote on the overtime law and in the public media headquarters have been efforts to cause disturbance, attract attention and generate hysteria as part of the campaign, he added.

News website Origo said on Sunday that “pro-Soros demonstrators announced in the demonstration that [DK leader Ferenc] Gyurcsány, Jobbik, Momentum, LMP and the Socialists would field a joint list for the European parliamentary elections.”

Commenting on the report, Kocsis said on his Facebook page that this would actually be a Soros list. The planned EP list clearly shows that only those can be put on it who support migration, he added.

Socialist leader Bertalan Tóth said during Saturday’s demonstration that

unity had been created between opposition forces both in parliament and in the streets.

He called on the opposition parties to cooperate in both the European and local elections later this year. He said the opposition parties should field joint candidates everywhere.

January 7, 2019

Financial Times Person of the Year: George Soros

The prestigious British business magazine has chosen George Soros as the Financial Times Person of the Year.

Portfolio reports that the Financial Times regards Soros as the representative of liberal democracy and of an open society – values that were victorious during the Cold War. The magazine further argues that the Hungarian-born American businessman has to face the strongest and most influential people in the world, like Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump, who are trying to ‘delegitimise his person’.

However, it is not only Soros who has a hard time against the forces of nationalism and populism but the ideas he stands for; namely, the balance of liberal democracy is in danger, too, all the way from Hungary to America.

The Financial Times argues that Soros is the only person who builds his own foreign policy as a private individual.

Soros, who has been fighting racism, intolerance and authoritarianism as a philanthropist for 30 years now, shared his own opinion on the backlash he constantly receives from national populists. More specifically, from those in Europe:

“I am blamed for everything; they even call me the Antichrist. I wish I did not have this many enemies, but I take it as a sign of me doing something right.”

He also explained that, in his views, Donald Trump is his own enemy; a narcissistic person, who wishes the world revolved around him.

Soros believes that the world is in a state of revolution,

not having lost faith in another vote on Brexit actually happening in the near future in Great Britain.

Furthermore, he compared the European Union in some ways to the final days of the Soviet Union, since the bureaucracy in Brussels fails to see that they are about to draw the shorter straw. The EU is in the hands of constitutional lawyers who are getting things done through backdoors.

Soros told Financial Times that he is sure his son will carry on the cause they took up together, for which they will stand up, no matter what the results are:

“We will fight, even if we win or lose. Though I do not like losing that much”

Featured image: www.facebook.com/OpenSocietyFoundation

December 20, 2018

Orbán cabinet chief: EP elections ‘crucial’ for Hungary, Europe

Next year’s European Parliamentary elections will be “crucial both for Hungary and the European Union”, the prime minister’s cabinet chief said in an interview published in daily Magyar Hirlap on Thursday.

In the interview, Antal Rogán said that

“George Soros and his circles will do everything they can to maintain the current power relations” and “those countries that are markedly anti-migration will be attacked by all means”.

“They seek to destroy the reputation of those countries that have been firmly against migration; that is what Ms Sargentini is doing, an old, reliable ally of George Soros,” Rogán insisted, and stressed that “the situation could be changed” in the ballot next spring.

Concerning Hungary’s recently established administrative courts, Rogán said that “these courts will deal with migration cases” and insisted that “no wonder that they are being attacked by Europe’s pro-migration institutions”.

On another subject, Rogán said that recent,

anti-government protests involved “violent groups that attacked police” and added that those detained during the demonstrations included “innumerable” people with a police record.

HALF OF THE WORLD TALKS ABOUT THE HUNGARIAN ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS – Read more HERE

December 20, 2018

Orbán cabinet: Police gave muted response to demonstrators’ ‘attacks’

Zoltán Kovács, state secretary for international communications, says police at the recent demonstrations in Hungary gave a markedly muted response to the protests considering how opposition MPs and political activists “attacked” them and public institutions.

Kovács told MTI by phone from Paris that he and Szabolcs Takacs, the state secretary for European Union affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office, had addressed a press event there, discussing the context of the recent events in Hungary. Kovács said western European media had attempted to portray the demonstrations — which he said had clearly been initiated by opposition lawmakers and political activists — “as if something completely different were going on in the country”.

The state secretary said he and Takács had told journalists that

the demonstrations were political in nature and could also be linked to NGOs with ties to the “Soros network“.

Contrary to how western European media outlets were trying to portray the demonstrations — implying that police had used excessive force against the protesters — the authorities “actually gave a very muted response” considering that the opposition lawmakers and political activists “attacked” them and public institutions, Kovács said.

The state secretary said the media outlets in question were applying double standards in their portrayal of the protests. He cited the example of the “claim” that the demonstrations are about the amendment to the labour code, saying that Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini has raised the issue of human rights in recent days, when the upper threshold for annual overtime in the Netherlands is the European maximum of 416 hours, 16 hours more than the upper threshold in the Hungarian amendment.

Takacs said Hungary has had to endure a “systematic attack on its reputation” for eight years, the most notable example of which has been the Sargentini report, the resolution resulting from it and the events that have followed its approval by the European Parliament.

Protester attacking police receives suspended prison sentence

A protester in Sunday’s anti-government demonstration, who attacked police officers after the event, has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment, suspended for four years, the municipal court told MTI on Thursday.

The court said that the defendant had been drunk and attempted to hit two police officers. The defendant, who had a multiple police record, pleaded guilty, and accepted the sentence.

December 20, 2018

Venice Commission calls on Hungary to repeal ‘Stop Soros’ laws

Hungary’s immigration tax affecting NGOs violates the rights to free expression and association, therefore, the law package dubbed “Stop Soros” should be repealed, the Council of Europe Venice Commission and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said in a joint opinion on Friday.

In the document, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and legal experts of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission said they recognise that states can raise revenue through taxation, and that taxation can be used to dissuade and penalise activities that, while lawful, are not considered in the public interest. At the same time, they said taxation is neither designed nor should be used to discourage the exercise of the freedoms of expression and association, as guaranteed by the European Convention of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other norms in international law.

The experts said they hold “serious doubts” about the legitimacy of the aim of the Hungarian immigration tax which entered into force in August. They added that “the tax does not just finance a government activity, but also discourages legitimate associative activities supporting migration. The use of an apparently neutral measure, such as a new tax, to penalise individuals/entities on account of the views that they promote, interferes with the freedom of expression and association of groups disliked by the authorities,” they said.

The experts said

“the special tax limits the NGOs’ freedom to determine their objectives and activities and their ability to undertake advocacy on issues of public debate.”

Furthermore, new reporting obligations – including the disclosure of the identity of sponsors – could create an environment of “excessive state monitoring” that is not conducive to freedom of association, the experts added.

The full text of the opinion will be made available on Monday 17 December on the Venice Commission website.

Balázs Orbán, state secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, said in response that the Venice Commission has changed its legal advisor profile to “political pressurising” and “clearly sided with those that support migration”.

The Venice Commission‘s opinion does not include legal assessment or analysis but makes political statements, the official said in a statement.

The Hungarian government believes that the activities of “organisations that support migration” have a considerable effect on the central budget because “Hungary protects its borders from taxpayers’ money and these organisations’ activites undermine border protection efforts”, he argued.

December 15, 2018

Hungary in the focus of conspiracy theories

Hungary: Europe’s champion of conspiracy theories. These theories are gaining a lot of traction in enlightened, democratic societies. The phenomenon is finding many adherents in Europe, specifically Hungary, as political scientist Péter Krekó recently reported. He is an expert in this field and considered to be one of the most acknowledged political scientists in Europe. Moreover, he has been the director of the research institute Political Capital since 2011.

According to Deutsche Welle, Peter Kreko has been studying the phenomenon of conspiracy for years, but his researches’ intensity has been greater since the 2015 refugee crisis. Since then, conspiracy theories have become very influential in Hungarian politics, and politicians even established themselves as the main elements of government policy. That is clearly illustrated in the Hungarian opinion polling: 51% of residents are convinced that US investment billionaire George Soros has a plan to bring masses of refugees to Europe. His plan has been propagated in Hungary for years.

The political scientist added that this propaganda campaign in Hungary is still popular and a lot of people believe in “the Soros plan“. This theory has even found adherents among the country’s opposition parties. Another example is that Muslims have a secret plan to occupy Europe and slowly subject us to their culture.

According to the scientist, anti-semitism is also a problem in Hungary. We do not feel its impact in our everyday life, but it can appear anytime.

“There have been very few anti-Semitic attacks in the country. Still, I would like to point out one aspect of our polling: Anti-Muslim attitudes and the prevailing mood against Soros have given rise to an anti-Semitic wave in Hungary. We were indeed able to show a correlation between the two. That means that when a conspiracy theory spreads it also creates other, perhaps unintended hate narratives in its wake.” – said Péter Krekó.

The current media landscape in Hungary also makes great efforts to spread the propaganda in the country. Besides media, the political scientist believes that societal polarisation plays a significant role as well, but that is not a label for Hungary, because it is a general phenomenon on the old continent. He also emphasised the fact that societal polarisation is not a Hungarian problem in general. This means that, if we talk about conspiracy theories in Europe and Western countries outside the continent, Hungary is no exception.

“Hungary may stick out, but conspiracy theories are gaining traction all across the globe. That has a lot to do with the prevailing mood of the day, which shows how little trust people have in international institutions and how changes in our world lead people to believe the craziest theories about their causes. We are dealing with a global crisis of confidence.” – explained the scientist.

Péter Krekó also added that these conspiracy theories can be threats to minorities and can cause more confusion and conflicts in our everyday life too. Different kind of theories about vaccinations and the decreasing number of parents who do not have their children vaccinated is a good example.

The biggest problem is that Hungary made these theories part of the Hungarian government policies, and we do not have the opportunity to step back anymore, only by complex and time-consuming methods. The other problem is that it is easier to spread these theories than spreading doubts about them.

Featured image: MTI (www.facebook.com/kormanyzat)

December 13, 2018

Orbán cabinet: The demonstration in Budapest was ‘illegitimate’

The demonstration in Budapest on Wednesday night against parliament’s changes to overtime regulations were “illegitimate”, where “aggressive political activists” also participated, Gergely Gulyás, the Head of the Prime Minister’s Office, told a regular press conference on Thursday.

Earlier on Wednesday,

parliament voted to extend the period employers may account overtime for the purpose of calculating wages and rest days from twelve months to three years, and to raise the upper threshold for annual overtime from 250 to 400 hours.

Regarding the opposition blocking the house speaker’s dais and obstructing proceedings with loud whistling and shouting in a bid to thwart the vote, Gulyás said that they “made themselves ridiculous”.

The ruling majority preserved parliament’s dignity by ensuring lawful and constitutional operations, he said.

The legality of the parliamentary voting system, which some opposition lawmakers seemed to cast doubt on during the protest, is beyond any reasonable doubt, he said.

Regarding street demonstrations against the overtime regulations later that day, Gulyás said that the right to free association was enshrined in the constitution. However, it should be practiced peacefully and within the legal limits, he said. Read more about the demonstration and check out photos videos HERE.

Gulyás said that Wednesday’s protests, where the crowd filled Kossuth Square in front of Parliament and threw objects at the police cordon, was “illegitimate”. Among the participants there were aggressive political activists, including members of American financier “George Soros’s organisations”, he insisted.

Some of the demonstrators “showed open hatred for Christians”, Gulyás added.

So far, the police have arrested 34 people, and 5 police officers suffered injuries during the protests, he said.

Concerning the new labour amendment, Gulyás said that “contrary to what the opposition says, any overtime work will only be done on a voluntary basis” and insisted that the legal maximum for overtime did not exceed “the practice of other European countries”. He said that employers would be obliged to settle payments for overtime work each month and added that suggestions of a six-day working week “are lies”.

Answering a question, Gulyás said that the government had not discussed the overtime regulations with any company. The new rules have not been met with “any tangible resistance from society”, the only protest coming from the opposition “which now throws away the basic rules of democracy” and which is “more and more aggressive as its support is dwindling”, he said.

Concerning a new law on administrative courts, Gulyás said that the bill’s passage on Wednesday was a “significant achievement”, and added that both lawyers and academics supported the legislation. The law “contains necessary guarantees” in terms of the rule of law and excludes any possibility of political influence, he insisted. The new administrative courts will operate “independently but within a unified judicial system”, he said.

Answering a question concerning two of Viktor Orbán’s body guards entering parliament’s assembly hall on Wednesday, Gulyás said that the prime minister is a “highly protected dignitary” and “since he was put in physical danger by the opposition it would be difficult to condemn the behaviour of those protecting him”.

Regarding the issue of migrant visas which the European Parliament accepted on Tuesday, Gulyas said that the measure enhanced the risk of terrorist attacks similar to the shooting in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The visa would allow asylum seekers to enter the EU so they can submit their requests for asylum.

The decision “lacks common sense”, and the Hungarian government rejects it, Gulyas said. The fact that the resolution was rejected once in the EP and then re-submitted with “fake amendments” so that the “pro-migration majority” could vote in favour, paints a sad picture of European democracy, he said. Instead, the body should announce that migration has to be stopped.

Gulyás also said that the government’s national security cabinet had decided to step up patrols in Budapest and in other cities, as well as to deploy armoured vehicles to secure major Christmas fairs. “The government has taken all measures to ensure that Christmas preparations in public areas are undisturbed,” he said.

Concerning the EU’s next seven-year budget, on the agenda of the community’s summit starting on Thursday, Gulyás said the government was disappointed that “the draft focuses on migration and border management”. “Migration should not be managed but stopped,” he went on to say.

On the subject of Brexit, Gulyás said

the Hungarian government was interested in a “orderly British departure” and said that if the European Council approved such a framework, Hungary would support it.

SCANDAL IN THE HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT! ORBÁN HAILS “SLAVE LAW”, OPPOSITION PROTESTS

December 13, 2018

Fidesz: Soros ‘seeking to influence’ EP elections

George Soros “is again seeking to influence the European Parliamentary elections”, the communications director of ruling Fidesz told Hungarian public media on Tuesday, adding that the US financier was backing “pro-migration forces”.

Balázs Hidvéghi spoke in reaction to a meeting between Soros and Frans Timmermans, vice-president of the European Commission, and said that the talks reflected that

“Brussels is irrevocably in Soros’s pocket“.

Hidvéghi insisted that Timmermans is a “notorious pro-migration politician” who has “regular talks with Soros behind closed doors”, while his spokesperson “would not answer questions about the talks”.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/OpenSocietyFoundation

November 27, 2018

Orbán cabinet rejects Handelsblatt claim that government criticism of Soros is of an anti-Semitic nature

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltán Kovács on Saturday rejected the claim published in an editorial in German daily Handelsblatt that the Hungarian government’s criticism of US billionaire George Soros is of an anti-Semitic nature.

In the editorial, Handelsblatt’s editor-in-chief Andreas Kluth wrote that “conspiracy theories about George Soros are spreading from Hungary,” and then linked them to the “vilest forms of European anti-Semitism”.

Kovács complained that a letter he wrote responding to the editorial was not published by Handelsblatt because the paper cited “press freedom”, so he posted the letter in full on his blog, abouthungary.hu.

In the letter, he stressed that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government never refer to Soros’ Jewish roots, adding that “interestingly, Soros himself talks little about it, emphasizing instead his American identity”.

“Kluth and the liberal, Soros apologists play the Jewish card in a desperate effort to smear those who dare to oppose Soros’ undemocratic, pro-immigration agenda,” Kovács said.

The “real issue at stake” is “respect for the will of the people”, he added.

“There’s a difference between working to bring down communist dictatorships, as Soros’ foundations once did, and actively working against democratically elected governments, as Soros and his network do today,” Kovács said.

November 25, 2018

Hungarian ruling parties call on EC to explain prepaid debit cards issued for migrants

The ruling Fidesz and Christian Democrat (KDNP) parties call on the European Commission to answer some questions regarding prepaid debit cards reportedly issued for migrants, the alliance’s spokesman, István Hollik, told a press conference in Budapest on Saturday.

Earlier this week, Fidesz’s Lajos Kósa, head of parliament’s defence and law enforcement committee, cited

recent reports about tens of thousands of prepaid debit cards made available to migrants by the European Commission and the United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR.

The debit cards are reported to have been used by migrants on the “reactivated Balkan migration route”, Hollik said. The EC should explain the origins of the cards, the amounts deposited on them, and the reasons why the scheme was kept in secret, he said.

The cards are said to be funded by moneys from the EU, the UN and US financier George Soros, Hollik said, raising the question whether the member states have agreed to a scheme like that.

The ruling parties expect information on the bodies financing tens of thousands of migrants on their way to the southern borders of Europe, Hollik said, adding that this way they may also finance terrorism.

November 11, 2018

Interview – Orbán: Nation to benefit from ‘even stronger’ family policy

The government’s enhanced support for families will “benefit the whole nation, including young people” in the long run, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told public Kossuth Radio on Friday.

“Young people often plan a family … and then face financial difficulties,” Orbán said, adding that he wanted to build a Hungary in which young people are not forced to change their plans due to money worries.

Compared with other European Union members, Hungary has the highest family support in relation to GDP, the prime minister said, noting government efforts to reverse negative population trends.

“Hungary’s population is steadily decreasing,”

Orbán said, adding that measures must be geared towards ensuring an adequate replacement rate.

Enhanced family support will promote childbirth and lower the average age, which will make Hungary a “merry and happy” country, Orbán said.

Concerning the government’s latest public consultation survey, Orbán said that the economy was strong enough to allow for more assistance to families. The government is looking to voters for “guidelines” for its next measures, Orbán said, and encouraged residents to “spend half an hour” and fill in the questionnaires.

On the subject of the European People’s Party’s congress in Helsinki, Orbán said “it had not been difficult” to decide whom to support of the two candidates. He called

Alexander Stubb an “extremely liberal, pro-migration politician” while he said Manfred Weber was a Christian Democrat.

In his interview, Orbán referred to the United Nations’ migration pact, calling for it to be ditched because “governments should side with the people and protect them from illegal migration, terrorism, crime, and economic difficulties”. He insisted that the plan would “go against the will of the vast majority of Europeans”.

“This is a bad pact”, Orbán said, arguing the plan was aimed at driving international support for “principles that are in conflict with the interests of Hungarian people” such as acknowledging migration as a human right. “We won’t accommodate migrants and cannot accept a document which presents it as a noble and globally shared purpose,” Orbán said.

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Referring to his recent trip to China, he said Hungary’s political stability within the region was especially prized. He said that

experts in China converged on the view that central Europe will be the engine of growth in Europe in the next 5 to 10 years.

Budapest, he added, is the centre of cooperation between 16 central and eastern European countries, the Balkans and China. Orbán said Hungarian quality manufacture in China is competitive and his visit had resulted in a deal to resume exports of Hungarian poultry halted due to bird flu. Further, hundreds of millions of dollars of Hungarian business opportunities have opened up, too, he added.

Asked about the Central European University (CEU), Orbán said “hysteria” had been generated around the “Soros university” for as long as the CEU had been present in the country. “However much hysteria is whipped up around any one university, I’m not inclined to allow anyone to operate outside of the law.” At the same time, the prime minister said the prospect of the CEU leaving Hungary was “a bluff” since Hungarian law provided for the possibility of the universities operations and “the legal requirements for their operation in Hungary are guaranteed.”

“I’d place a large bet that we’ll still see them in Budapest,” he added.

November 9, 2018

Thousands gathered in Budapest to express solidarity with CEU

Thousands gathered in central Budapest to express solidarity with the Central European University, in a demonstration staged by the Momentum Movement, on Friday.

Momentum leader András Fekete-Győr told the crowd that the government “wants to expel CEU from Hungary” because Prime Minister Viktor Orban “is terrified of all those that have thoughts”. He gave the prime minister until December 1 “to take his dirty, corrupted hands off the university” and called on Hungarians “to defend what belongs to them”.

The CEU has said that unless the university can emerge from its current legal limbo in Hungary by December 1, the new student intake for its American accredited masters and doctoral programmes will study at the CEU’s new campus in Vienna(details).

Michael Ignatieff, the CEU’s president and rector, told a news conference in Budapest on Thursday that the decision by the institution’s board of trustees will come into effect on December 1, though, he added, hopefully a solution to the stand-off was still possible to ensure that courses continue in Hungary.

But if a solution is not found, the CEU will move to Vienna “given we cannot continue to operate legally in Budapest,” he said.

Ruling Fidesz said in a statement that Momentum “promotes the interests of businessman George Soros”. They argued that politicians of the opposition are backed by the US billionaire and “they are now paying their gratitude in front of the Soros university”. The statement added that the CEU “is operating undisturbed” and the “hysteria around it is but a political ploy”.

Photo: MTI

October 27, 2018

CEU: Move to Vienna if no solution found to impasse by Dec 1

The Central European University (CEU) has said that unless the university can emerge from its current legal limbo in Hungary by December 1, the new student intake for its American accredited masters and doctoral programmes will study at the CEU’s new campus in Vienna.

But if a solution is not found, the CEU will move to Vienna “given we cannot continue to operate legally in Budapest,” he said.

Ignatieff said

the CEU had fulfilled the Hungarian government’s conditions, but the government did not want to sign the related international convention.

In response to the CEU press conference, government spokesman Zoltán Kovács branded Ignatieff’s statement as “a political bluff” on the part of US billionaire George Soros, the CEU’s founder and main benefactor. He said the CEU “will continue to operate in Hungary today, and, in our opinion, in the future too.”

He said

the government “does not respond to political bluffs”.

Asked about any future negotiations between the government and CEU, he said the CEU should deal with the facts of the matter “which have been made clear to them a thousand times”.

“The university very well knows what the Hungarian regulations are, but instead of actually complying with them, their response is political bluster,” the spokesman said.

At the CEU’s news conference Ignatieff said that

students who have already begun their studies in Budapest will finish them here, and as much education and research as possible would remain in the Hungarian capital.

Ignatieff said the CEU had fulfilled the conditions set by the Hungarian government and that a Hungarian examination had found that expectations had been met. Further, as far as the CEU’s accreditation in the United States is concerned, the university has met its obligations, he added. A few weeks ago, however, the American ambassador signalled that the Hungarian government does not want to sign the related international convention, he added.

The rector said

the CEU wanted to comply with Hungarian laws and remain in Budapest.

In response to a question, he said Soros had attended a board meeting on the potential move to Vienna. He said the CEU “respects and admires” Soros and thanks him for his support but it would be against the university’s basic rules to take instructions from him, he added.

Last week, the university’s leadership met Hungarian officials but they failed to reach a satisfactory outcome. The CEU would welcome further talks but wants its academic freedom as a US institution operating in Hungary to be recognised, the rector said.

Ignatieff added that

the US Congress also underlined the importance of the CEU remaining in Hungary.

He noted that the European Commission and the European Court had been asked to assess “Lex CEU” in light of the university’s position that the law raises concerns about constitutionality. No response has been received so far, he said, adding that the CEU hopes the Hungarian government would respects any future ruling that protects the CEU. At the same time, the university cannot wait for such a decision and must take further steps, he added.

Ignatieff said the Vienna campus has been preparing to open for several months. This will go ahead even if the CEU can retain its freedoms in Hungary, he said.

Vice Rector Liviu Matei said that around two thousand people would be affected by a possible move.

Vice Rector in charge of Hungarian affairs Zsolt Erdei said the CEU’s activities were supported by the representatives of international academic life and by the Hungarian people. The university still believes that relations between the CEU and the government can be resolved, he added.

Photo: ceu.edu

October 25, 2018

Hungarian government to expand home purchase subsidies – Regular press briefing

The government has decided to raise the home purchase subsidies (CSOK) available for families raising two children to 10 million forints (EUR 31,000), the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday at a regular press briefing.

CSOK

Earlier the HUF 10m loans were available only to families with three or more children.

The credit limit for families with three children will be raised to 15 million forints (46,500 euros), Gergely Gulyás said.

The funds freed when the government decided to phase out state subsidies to home savings accounts earlier this month will be regrouped to support the CSOK system, Gulyás said.

The government aims to implement the new regulations this year, Gulyás said.

Further measures regarding family home subsidies will be decided after the government’s planned national consultation survey on the subject. Decisions on the survey will be announced later this week, Gulyás said.

The government is mulling extending the preferential 5 percent VAT on home purchases, which was set to conclude by the end of the year, Gulyas said.

Meanwhile, Gulyás announced that

Budapest will have four central hospitals instead of the three planned earlier.

The four main hospitals will be the Honvédkórház, the Szent János Hospital, an integrated institution comprising the Szent Laszló and Szent István hospitals, as well as a new hospital being built in south Buda.

Gulyás also announced that the government will revise the system of culture subsidies paid as corporate tax into the central budget, commonly dubbed “tao”. The current system has led to “a major abuse of loopholes”, Gulyas said. The government does not intend to cut the current tao funding allocated for culture, which was around 35 billion forints, Gulyas said. Rather, it aims for a transparent grants system overseen by the culture ministry, he said.

The tao funding will not be distributed based on political considerations, “although it will doubtless lead to political debates”, Gulyas said.

Gulyás rejected reports that spectators were bussed in to see Prime Minister Viktor Orbán deliver his speech on the October 23 national holiday on Tuesday. “The proliferation of fake news regarding the issue is due to the fact that government commemorations draw about ten times as many viewers as opposition events do,” he said.

Government spokesman Zoltán Kovács noted that the heightened security measures at the commemoration were in line with the usual procedures at events attended by high-level politicians.

As we wrote a week ago, the Hungarian parliament voted to phase out the state subsidy on deposits with home savings banks, read more HERE.

Government steps up border control in South Hungary

Gergely Gulyás, citing interior ministry information, said the migrants were some 70kms south of the country. Hungary has offered Croatia help in handling the migrants, he added.

Meanwhile, he said national immigration and citizenship office will be renamed the office in charge of foreign nationals “to reflect the wish of Hungarian voters that the country should not become a migrant destination”. The structure of the authority will not change but “renaming it sends a clear message that migration is a law enforcement issue”, he added.

On the topic of Hungary-Ukraine ties, Gulyás said the government strove for good neighbourly relations but “this is not possible if prospects and opportunities for Ukraine’s ethnic Hungarians narrow rather than expand”. He said it was regrettable that Ukraine was using the “Hungarian card” in its election campaign. Hungary will “speak up for Transcarpathia Hungarians” in all possible forums, he added.

Asked about the government’s rejection of plan to appoint a European prosecutor, Gulyás said the initiative would “curb national sovereignty”.

Concerning Budapest’s Central European University, Gulyás said, “We consider any threats or offers by the CEU as political bluff by George Soros”.

The government cannot be blamed if the CEU decides to open an campus in Vienna “to issue degrees”,

he said, noting that the law on higher education contains provisions for issuing joint degrees such as Hungarian-American ones.

On the topic of health care, Gulyas said “health care is not a business”. “Public health services must be guaranteed to all taxpayers and pensioners”. He added, however, that the government has “never restricted anyone’s right to buy a supplementary health insurance policy or to buy private health-care services”.

Answering a question about reports of planned layoffs of 17-18 percent of public sector employees, Gulyas said he had briefed union heads about the plans amid a “very constructive atmosphere”. He said 10 percent of the jobs in question would be scrapped and actual lay-offs would not exceed 10 percent. “This is in line the government’s position that there should be no blanket layoffs.” He added those retaining their positions would benefit from an average 30 percent pay rise on Jan. 1.

Government mulls appeal of ICSID voucher decision

Hungary’s government is weighing legal redress in the matter of a decision by the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) awarding compensation to French voucher company Le Cheque Dejeuner, Gulyás said.

“We are examining the possibilities of legal appeal,” Gulyás said when asked to comment on the ICSID’s decision.

The former Socialist government “made a mistake” when they gave a French company the opportunity to profit from Hungarians’ recreation and vacations, he added.

Hungary rolled out a unified national voucher system in 2011, effectively squeezing out existing market players. In 2016, the European Court of Justice ruled that the voucher system violated key European Union tenets, discriminating against or restricting the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services.

October 25, 2018

Somebody tried to blow up George Soros

An explosive device was found in the Hungarian politician and billionaire George Soros’s mailbox at his Westchester County Home in Bedford, Massachusetts. Local authorities stated that the device was found and exploded by bomb squad technicians. No one was injured.

According to nytimes.com, the suspicious package was found by one of the house’s employees and was immediately reported to the police. The package was taken to a location farther from the house while the employee was waiting for the authorities. George Soros was away from home.

“An employee of the residence opened the package, revealing what appeared to be an explosive device,” the police said in a statement. “The employee placed the package in a wooded area and called the Bedford police.” – wrote The New York Times.

The police stated that the case had been turned over to the F.B.I., who are currently investigating but remain silent and do not respond to any inquiries.

The town of Bedford is 50 miles north from Manhattan and has been home to many American celebrities, like Martha Stewart, Glenn Close and Ralph Lauren. The town is known for its quiet and peaceful atmosphere and the lack of gossip between residents. John Stockbridge, Bedford’s historian, said:

“They look to Bedford as to being protective of their privacy. I’ve been here for 35 years, and I don’t remember any incident like what you’re talking about.”

George Soros is not only unpopular in Hungary but remains to be the favourite target of every right-wing political party across the globe.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/opensocietyfoundation

October 24, 2018