Council of Europe

Hungarian EU affairs minister: EU Presidency brought about ‘historic decisions’

Notwithstanding “multiple crises, a transitional institutional period of severe political headwinds and institutional obstruction”, Hungary brought about “historic decisions” under its EU presidency, János Bóka, the EU affairs minister, told a press conference on Tuesday.

Hungary’s EU Presidency

He noted the Budapest Declaration aimed at boosting the bloc’s competitiveness following an unanimous decision by EU leaders, the full Schengen membership of Romania and Bulgaria from Jan 1, and the twin summits held in Budapest on Nov 7-8, namely that of the European Political Community and the informal meeting of the European Council, “the biggest diplomatic event in Hungary’s history”.

Fully 39 formal council meetings were held in Brussels and Luxembourg during the presidency, while 14 informal ministerial meetings were held in Budapest, including the first meeting of ministers responsible for demography, Bóka noted.

Also, nine political trialogue agreements were ushered through the European Parliament under Hungary’s presidency, he said, also noting the adoption of a council declaration on the fight against anti-Semitism. Regarding the Budapest Declaration, Bóka said the document set out specific expectations with deadlines, though the Hungarian government was disheartened by early signals regarding its implementation, he added.

The minister also noted the adoption of strategically important policy decisions such as the ministerial declaration on the future of the common agricultural policy and cooperation in justice and home affairs. The presidency, meanwhile, oversaw the institutional transition so that EU institutions and their new leaders could start operating on Dec 1, he said. Hungary was fair mediator, he said, yet it also presided over a strong political presidency that demonstrated the need for change and “the possibility of a real European alternative”.

The current Polish EU Presidency should take these initiatives forward, he said, adding that it did not bode well, however, that Poland was “mixing its bilateral and internal political conflicts” into its presidency. Bóka said the US presidential election and changes in the European Parliament presaged change, which “must be forced through by member states, including Hungary”. He added that 2025 was therefore likely to be a year of conflicts.

Bóka noted that a permanent team for the EU’s common security and defence policy had been set up under the Hungarian presidency. He said the working group had completed preparations for a common European defence industry strategic concept but “could not get over the threshold” in the European Council. He said he trusted the subsequent Polish presidency could complete the task before preparations for the next seven-year budget.

The Polish presidency is not part of negotiations concerning community funding for Hungary, Bóka said, adding that the country had met all preconditions for accessing the funds and “they are being withheld exclusively for putting political pressure [on Hungary].” The Hungarian government will use all legal and political means to ensure that “Hungarians have access to what is owed to them,” he added.

Answering a question about Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s peace mission, Bóka said the EU’s strategy concerning the war in Ukraine “does not require consensus”, so the Hungarian presidency had had “extremely limited room to come up with initiatives”. “The prime minister, however, felt a moral and political responsibility to do something towards securing a ceasefire and meaningful peace talks,” Bóka said. Orbán exhibited “remarkable political courage” when he embarked on his peace mission, and “the positive results are now obvious,” he said.

The minister said the EU presidency had been handed over to Poland “in the customary, formal manner”. Concerning Hungary’s granting political asylum to former Polish justice minister Marcin Romanowski, Bóka said such a move “should not be a burden on any [foreign] relations… This has been a legal process in which the Hungarian authorities observed all rules”.

He also added that a Hungarian court would deal with the possible implementation of an European warrant Poland has issued against the former minister. Granting political asylum “is not taking a stance whether the applicant is guilty or not guilty”, Bóka said, insisting that the basis for such a decision was “whether procedural concerns have a foundation or not”. In Romanowski’s case those concerns are “obviously not unfounded”, he said. “This case should not affect the activities of the Polish presidency”.

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Hungarian finance minister: Budapest Declaration reaffirms importance of competitiveness

With the approval of the Budapest Declaration on the New European Competitiveness Deal in November, the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union affirmed the importance of competitiveness, Finance Minister Mihály Varga said ahead of a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council in Brussels on Tuesday.

Budapest Declaration

Varga also highlighted the approval of the 2025 EU budget and the VAT in the Digital Age package among the successes of the Hungarian presidency.

He told journalists that the ECOFIN meeting, the last under the Hungarian presidency, would review the overall economic situation in the EU, debate the state of play of the energy taxation directive and discuss the recovery and resilience facility.

After the meeting, Varga said Hungary’s half-year EU presidency had achieved success in the endeavour to boost European competitiveness, pointing to the Budapest Declaration and the new VAT package as well as significant advances in customs reform and the capital markets union.

Varga Mihály Budapest Declaration reaffirms importance of competitiveness
Photo: Facebook / Varga Mihály

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Council of Europe: troubling findings on Hungarian prisons

According to the latest report by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), Hungarian prisons are still overcrowded, with most inmates “having no or limited access to work, education or other out-of-cell activities.”

CPT delegation

Based on its visit to Hungarian detention facilities in May this year, the CPT said that “material conditions in police detention facilities were adequate for short periods of police custody (of up to 72 hours). However, according to the relevant legislation, persons remanded in custody may still be held in such facilities for longer periods, up to 60 days. Although it would appear that this rarely happens in practice, the conditions of detention in police holding facilities remain unsuitable for extended stays.”

The report singled out the prison in Tiszalök, in the north-east, where it said “physical ill-treatment by staff, such as slaps, punches, kicks, and truncheon blows to the head and body” appeared “particularly problematic.”

“The alleged ill-treatment took place in areas not covered by CCTV cameras, notably in the storage room on the disciplinary/security block, in the medical consultation room, in communal showers and in cells,” the report added.

Furthermore, the report said that “not only do the findings of the visit suggest that staff did not always intervene promptly, but the delegation also heard credible allegations that certain prisoners were allowed or even instructed by staff to mistreat their cellmates.”

related articleOutrageous: Hungarian government frees another almost 1000 human traffickers

Hungarian prisons: the impact of the guards on the inmates

Most prisoners asked did not complain about treatment by their guards, though “several credible allegations of physical ill-treatment of detained persons were received. The CPT also heard several allegations of excessively tight handcuffing, sexual harassment of female detainees by male police officers, verbal abuse, including of a racist nature, of detained persons by police officers, and of humiliating remarks in respect of transgender persons,” the report said.

The CoE delegation visited psychiatric institutions in Kistarcsa, outside Budapest, and Berettyóújfalu, in the east, and received no reports of physical violence against patients.

“Material conditions in both establishments were adequate in many respects,” the report said, adding however that “patients accommodated on closed wards had in practice virtually no access to outdoor areas, which is unacceptable.”

The delegation consulted with the Hungarian authorities regarding illegal migrants and concluded that “it is regrettable that there is still no legal procedure offering effective protection against informal forcible removals of foreign nationals (pushbacks) and refoulement, including chain refoulement.”

Read the full report here.

Read also: Woman in Hungarian prison with severe allergies given bread and lard to eat, loses 13 kgs

Council approves 2025 EU budget

The Council of the European Union announced on Monday that it has approved the joint text of the 2025 EU budget.

Commitments are set at EUR 192.8bn and payments at EUR 149.6bn in the text.

Péter Benő Bánai, a state secretary of the Finance Ministry of Hungary, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, said the 2025 budget would allow the EU to focus on its priority areas while ensuring a prudent and realistic approach to spending taxpayers’ money.

read also: How PM Orbán’s tax treaty plans could benefit Hungarian expats in the U.S.

Finance Minister Varga flags continued tax relief

Finance Minister Mihály Varga said tax relief was set to continue next year at a conference organised by the National Tax and Customs Authority (NAV) on Tuesday.

Varga talks about tax relief

Varga said Hungary’s tax system was “moving in the right direction” and was among the most competitive in the world. He added that the tax system was an important part of competitiveness, the focus of Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The government’s policy of cutting taxes, declared in 2010, has significantly reduced the tax burden, while Hungary has undertaken one of the biggest crackdowns on tax evasion in the EU, he said. Hungary’s VAT gap has been reduced by 18 percentage points from 2010 to 4.4pc in 2021, he added.

The number of taxes in Hungary has been cut from 64 to 54, and that number is set to fall further, he said. The rate of tax deductions, as a percentage of GDP, has declined from around 40pc in 2009 to under 35pc, he added.

Varga said the government had practically halved the tax on labour in the 2010s, while putting the stress on consumption-type taxes. The tax wedge for the average single worker has been reduced from 53pc to 41pc, the steepest decline in the EU, he added.

Hungary’s corporate tax rate, at 9pc, is the lowest in the EU, he said.

Touching on tax changes for 2025, he said the 5pc preferential VAT rate on homes would be extended for another two years, while tax allowances for families with children would double. Sectoral taxes on pharmaceutical companies, telecommunications companies and airlines will be phased out, he added.

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Hungary hosts European SME Assembly in Budapest

Budapest is hosting the European SME Assembly, a high-level political and professional forum for discussing current challenges and trends, and one of the tools for implementing the European Union’s SME Strategy, in the framework of Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the EU.

SME Assembly in Budapest

Addressing the assembly on Tuesday, National Economy Minister Márton Nagy pointed to the need to temporarily ease the EU’s fiscal regulations and channel more resources to the digital and green transitions. He pointed to the Budapest Declaration on the New European Competitiveness Deal adopted at an EU summit in Budapest earlier in November, and said that the Draghi and Letta reports had warned the EU would fall behind China and the US in the global competition if fiscal rules weren’t loosened and more money wasn’t ploughed into the digital and green transitions.

Nagy said the current Maastricht criteria “significantly restricted” member states’ room for fiscal manoeuvre. He added that fiscal deficits relative to GDP had averaged 9pc in the US and 7.6pc in China in recent years, while the gap was 4.5pc in the EU.

He blamed the EU’s “prudent” fiscal policy for the widening innovation gap between the EU and the US and China.

Nagy said the EU’s competitiveness problems were also evident on the electric vehicle market, with the share of EV sales among new vehicle registrations reaching 15pc in Germany and 20pc in France, well under the 30pc rate in China.

He added that Hungary’s government was tapping significant resources to support the green transition.

Hubert Gambs, the European Commission‘s deputy head for the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said proposals made at the meeting in Budapest could contribute to the drafting of the EC’s new single market strategy set to be unveiled in the summer of 2025.

At a press conference at the event, state secretary for SMEs Richard Szabados said nine companies, earlier winners of funding, had been showcased at the assembly, while the activities of local business development agencies were presented.

He added that sustainable operation of SMEs, developing the defence industry, boosting management skills, digital coalitions, business development clusters, and artificial intelligence in R+D+I were topics discussed at the assembly.

Szabados said the 500-600 participants got a chance to see local examples of businesses run by women and fintech companies on Monday.

He highlighted the need for economic policy to encourage corporate investments and for SMEs to have access to financing.

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Hungarian Finance Minister Varga to report on Hungary’s EU presidency to EP committee

Finance Minister Mihály Varga will report on the results of Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the European Union at a meeting of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament on Monday.

Finance Minister to report on Hungary’s EU presidency

In a video message posted on social media on the way to the meeting, Varga said the Hungarian presidency had made “significant breakthroughs” in the area of competitiveness, clearing the way for a new competitiveness deal for the EU. The presidency also reached a consensus on VAT rules, made it easier for businesses to operate in the EU and approved the 2025 EU budget ensuring the resources necessary to improve competitiveness, he added.

Varga said he anticipated some “antagonism” against Hungary to be voiced at the committee hearing. “But I’ll stand up to that,” he added.

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CoE anti-racism commission reviews progress on key recommendations in Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, and Monaco

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published today its conclusions on implementing its priority recommendations for Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, and Monaco over the past few years.

Anti-racism commission reviews

Cyprus

ECRI recommended to Cyprus that a national LGBTI strategy be prepared, accompanied by a national action plan, with a sufficient separate budget for its implementation. While it is positive that the Cypriot authorities have demonstrated a willingness to work on such a strategy, it has not been issued yet, and thus, this recommendation has not been implemented.

ECRI’s second priority recommendation was to take immediate action to support child asylum seekers and other migrant children in acquiring the Greek language skills necessary to allow them to follow ordinary primary school classes taught in Greek and to conduct individual skills assessments. ECRI welcomes the prompt action taken and concludes that the recommendation has been implemented.

Denmark

Denmark was requested by ECRI to implement two priority recommendations. Firstly, ECRI recommended that the Danish authorities introduce a national action plan against racism, with a particular emphasis on preventing anti-Muslim racism and discrimination and including steps towards securing a proportion of staff from Muslim and other minority backgrounds in such professions as law enforcement officials and teachers. While welcoming the preparations for such an action plan, including the budget allocation, ECRI concludes that the document has not been adopted yet and, therefore, the recommendation has not been implemented.

Secondly, the Council of Europe body recommended that the Danish authorities should introduce positive incentives for all to avoid forced evictions to achieve the objectives of the so-called “parallel society” legislation as regards a more balanced composition between “non-westerners”, EU citizens and “native Danes” in the neighbourhoods concerned. While the Danish authorities’ position is that no eviction of tenants takes place based on their ethnic or national origin from non-Western countries, ECRI nevertheless notes that the aim of the Danish legislation and related policy remains to reduce the share of “non-westerners” in “parallel societies” and “transformation areas” (formerly called “ghetto areas” and “hard ghetto areas” respectively) and that the implementation of the policy has inevitably resulted in forced evictions, decisions on which are being challenged in Danish courts. ECRI concludes that this recommendation has not been implemented.

Estonia

In its most recent report on Estonia, ECRI recommended that the authorities take urgent steps to amend the Penal Code with a view to ensuring that anyone, be it groups of individuals, engaged in hate speech of a criminal nature is duly prosecuted and punished and that citizenship and gender identity be included among the prohibited grounds. ECRI welcomes action initiated by the Estonian authorities to amend the Penal Code, but notes with regret that the government did not propose to insert explicitly citizenship and gender identity among the prohibited grounds and has not yet been able to move forward in parliament after the first reading. The Commission concludes that this recommendation has only been partially implemented so far.

The other priority recommendation was to organise a broad consultation of teachers working with pupils and students with Russian and other non-Estonian backgrounds, as well as parents’ associations and community organisations, to implement the new strategies related to education in Estonia effectively. ECRI acknowledges that the transition to Estonian-language education is a very sensitive topic and welcomes the action taken, but it recalls that consultations should be regular and dissenting voices should be taken into consideration as far as possible. This recommendation has been implemented, ECRI says.

Monaco

ECRI recommended to Monaco strengthening the High Commissioner’s powers of inquiry, to enable the institution to obtain the information it needs for its inquiries – including information not in the public domain – within a set time frame. ECRI takes positive note of some steps taken to facilitate the Commissioner’s requests for information since 2023, says that these measures should be enshrined in law, and concludes its recommendation has been partially implemented.

The second recommendation concerned combatting online hate speech by giving judicial authorities the power to authorise, approve and order the deletion of hate speech or the blocking of sites that use it, in co-operation with the Monegasque Data Protection Authority and, where appropriate, the relevant bodies in other countries concerned. No information on any taken or planned steps was received by ECRI on this matter. ECRI considers that this recommendation has not been implemented.

Hungary

In its most recent report on Hungary, ECRI recommended that the authorities commission an independent review of the legislative measures adopted during the period of “state of danger”, their impact on groups of concern to ECRI, including LGBTI persons, and their compliance with Council of Europe and other human rights standards. ECRI regrets that the Hungarian government has not taken any action to commission such an independent review. ECRI reiterates that the restrictive legislative measures taken during the period of “state of danger” have a strong bearing on the life of LGBTI persons and should be thoroughly and without further delay reviewed by independent experts. It concludes that its recommendation has not been implemented.

The second recommendation by ECRI to Hungary was to enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies to effectively identify and address racist and LGBTI-phobic hate speech and hate crime by providing more targeted and practical training. While ECRI welcomes the steps taken by the Hungarian authorities so far, it considers that the Hungarian authorities should further expand and improve the provision of such training, with a focus on addressing racist and LGBTI-phobic hate speech and hate crimes and ensuring that the 2019 Hate Crime Protocol is part of the daily police practice. Therefore, ECRI concludes that its recommendation has been partially implemented.

These anti-racism commission conclusions are based on government responses and information gathered from other sources. They only concern ECRI’s priority recommendations and do not aim to comprehensively analyze all developments in the fight against racism and intolerance in the countries concerned.

As we wrote earlier, U.S. report finds serious human rights problems in Hungary.

read also – ECtHR ruling: Hungary unlawfully detained, mistreated Iranian Christian, must pay compensation

Hungarian delegation to the CoE parliamentary assembly: Autonomy guarantee of minorities’ human rights

Territorial autonomy is a key instrument of “democratic participation”, Zsolt Németh, the head of the Hungarian delegation to the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly, said ahead of a panel discussion in Strasbourg, on Tuesday.

Autonomy

The human rights of minorities could be guaranteed through such autonomy, he said.

The panel was organised to mark the 800th anniversary of Diploma Andreanum, a medieval royal charter issued by King Andrew II of Hungary to Transylvanian Saxons (German settlers) in 1224.

Németh said autonomy largely contributed to a region’s economic development and prosperity.

“It would be a crucial task for the European Union to establish closer and closer ties with these instruments of the Council of Europe, because, unfortunately, an effective minority protection system has not yet been created within the framework of the EU,” he said.

Speaking at the panel, József Komlóssy, the Hungarian delegation’s councillor on human rights, said CoE member states must observe the Andreanum’s provisions.

“Our goal is to create a Europe free of divisons; we want to maintain Europe’s national, cultural and religious diversity,” he said.

Armin Lascher, vice president of the CoE parliamentary assembly, referred to the Andreanum as a highly esteemed document.

Zsolt Neméth elected leader of PACE European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance

Zsolt Németh, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee has been elected chair of the European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Németh told MTI by phone that he had been elected to head the body after its former leader Ian Liddell-Grainger had lost his mandate in Britain’s parliament.

Németh has been deputy chair of the group for two terms.

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Is a disaster coming? Shocking decline of Hungarians living beyond the borders

Hungary-Slovenia mixed committee held in Ljubljana

Council of Europe exhorts Hungary to legislation reforms concerning migration, life sentences

The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has exhorted the Hungarian authorities to bring national legislation on life sentences into line with the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, without further delay, and to set up a timeline for the necessary reforms.

Council of Europe wants legislation reforms in Hungary concerning life sentence

At its latest quarterly meeting to supervise the implementation of rulings from the Court, the Committee of Ministers adopted an Interim Resolution(*) in the László Magyar v. Hungary group of cases. This group of cases, which date back as far as 2014, concern violations of the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment due to the applicants’ life sentences, either without eligibility for parole or with eligibility for parole having served up to 48 years and one month in prison.

The Committee of Ministers underlined that the violations found by the Court did not require the applicants to be given the prospect of imminent release. What is required is that the applicants’ life sentences can be regarded as reducible, in accordance with the Court’s case-law, so that the applicants are provided with a prospect of release and a possibility of review, both of which must exist from the imposition of the sentence.

The Committee called on the authorities to align Hungarian legislation with the case-law of the European Court by reducing the waiting period for life prisoners before they are eligible for release and to address concerns raised by the Court regarding procedural safeguards.

The Committee also expressed deep regret about the continued absence of information on any relevant developments and invited the Hungarian authorities to submit an updated action plan by March 2025 at the latest.

CoE calls on Hungary to end collective expulsion of asylum-seekers

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has called on Hungary to work to ensure asylum-seekers access to means of legal entry and end its practice of collective expulsions to Serbia. The Committee of Ministers examined Hungary’s execution of three rulings issued by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in cases concerning asylum-seekers, according to a statement.

The committee determined that the Hungarian authorities had failed to assess the risks of ill-treatment before expelling the asylum-seekers in question to Serbia. It called on Hungary to thoroughly examine whether asylum applicants have access to an adequate asylum procedure in Serbia and if the principle of non-refoulement is respected, before expelling them.

In connection with another case, the Strasbourg-based body noted that the ECtHR had found that Hungary had violated the rights of an asylum-seeker on account of the applicant’s collective expulsion because the authorities had not guaranteed the individual the right to effective legal remedy. The committee called on the Hungarian authorities “to intensify their efforts in reforming the asylum system to afford effective access to means of legal entry”.

Members of the committee also expressed concern over reports on continued collective expulsions to Serbia. It called on the Hungarian authorities to end the practice of deporting asylum-seekers to Serbia without their identification or an assessment of their individual situation.

The committee also invited CoE member states to raise the issue of the implementation of the rulings in question with their Hungarian counterparts.

Read also:

  • Biggest murder case in 90’s has now been decided by a Hungarian court: Portik, Gyárfás sentenced to prison
  • Shocking: hundreds serve life sentences in Hungarian prisons for brutal crimes

PM Orbán’s warning after Moscow, Kyiv visits to EU Council President about radical war escalation

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made public a summary of his visits to the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, China, and Türkiye as well as to former US President Donald Trump, together with his recommendations to Charles Michel, the head of the European Council, the PM’s press chief told MTI.

Parts of the report “have come to light already” and the prime minister will publish the complete document “in the interest of comprehension and transparency”, Bertalan Havasi said. The prime minister hopes that his report and proposals could contribute to possible future initiatives Michel “could submit to leaders of the EU given the right time and in the appropriate format”, Havasi said. The document is available on the prime minister’s website miniszterelnok.hu. But you can also read below:

“Dear President,

Please find below a summary evaluation of my recent discussions with leaders of Ukraine, Russia, China, Türkiye and President Donald J. Trump, as well as a few suggestions for your consideration.

1. It is a general observation that the intensity of the military conflict will radically escalate in the near future.

2. I personally witnessed that the warring parties are determined to involve themselves deeper into the conflict, and neither of them would like to make initiatives for a ceasefire or peace negotiations. Therefore we can assume that tensions will not decrease and the parties will not start searching for a way out of the conflict without significant external involvement.

3. There are three global players that are able to influence developments: the European Union, the United States and China. We also have to take into consideration as an important regional player Türkiye as the only successful mediator between Ukraine and Russia since the outbreak of the hostilities in 2022.

4. China will continue its policy also formulated in international documents calling for a ceasefire and peace talks. However, China will play a more active role only if the chance for success of its engagement is close to certain. In their evaluation this is not the case at the moment.

5. With regards to the United States, I experienced at the NATO Summit and during my talks with President Trump that the US is at the moment heavily preoccupied with the presidential campaign. The incumbent President is making immense efforts to stay in the race. It is obvious that he is not capable of modifying the current US pro-war policy and therefore cannot be expected to start a new policy. As we have witnessed many times over the past years, in these situations bureaucracy without political leadership will continue to go down the previous path.

6. During my talks with President Trump, I came to a conclusion that foreign policy will play only a small role in his campaign, which is dominated by internal political questions. Therefore we can expect no peace initiative coming from him until the elections. I can however surely state that shortly after his election victory, he will not wait until his inauguration, but will be ready to act as a peace broker immediately. He has detailed and well-founded plans for this.

7. I am more than convinced that in the likely outcome of the victory of President Trump, the proportion of the financial burden between the US and the EU will significantly change to the EU’s disadvantage when it comes to the financial support of Ukraine.

8. Our European strategy in the name of transatlantic unity has copied the pro-war policy of the US. We have not had a sovereign and independent European strategy or political action plan up to now. I propose discussing whether the continuation of this policy is rational in the future. In the current situation we can find a window of opportunity with a strong moral and rational basis to begin a new chapter in our policy. In this new chapter we could make an effort to decrease tensions and/or create the conditions for a temporary ceasefire and/or start peace negotiations.

9. I propose initiating a discussion on the following proposals:

a. the initiative to conduct high-level political talks with China on the modalities of the next peace conference;

b. while maintaining the current high-level political contacts with Ukraine, reopening direct lines of diplomatic communication with Russia and the rehabilitation of such direct contacts in our political communication;

c. the launch of a coordinated political offensive towards the Global South whose appreciation we have lost concerning our position on the war in Ukraine resulting in the global isolation of the transatlantic community.

10. I hope that my reports and suggestions may prove to be a useful contribution to possible proposals and initiatives you will present to EU leaders at an appropriate occasion and in a convenient format.

Yours sincerely,
Viktor ORBÁN
Budapest, 12 July 2024″

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PM Orbán: Ursula von der Leyen is our employee, not our opponent

Ursula von der Leyen, the newly re-elected President of the European Commission, “is our employee, not our opponent”, as opposed to the “pro-war prime ministers representing flawed stances from Europe’s point of view”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday, adding that patriotic forces “made big gains but not a breakthrough” in the European parliamentary elections in June.

True weight lies with the European Council

Orbán said von der Leyen’s performance had been very weak in the past five years. She “has failed on the matter of the green transition and if things go on like this, she will demolish European industry,” he said.

On the issue of war, Orbán said Europe was focusing on participation on the Ukrainian side rather than on peace. Meanwhile, “migrants keep coming in,” he added.

Von der Leyen “is not our political opponent but our employee”, her job as EC president is to execute the guidelines determined by the member states’ prime ministers, he said.

“Ursula von der Leyen is paid from EU coffers, so she is dependent [on the EU]; she must do what the prime ministers say.”

The true weight of European politics lies with the European Council, he said. “The problem is not what the commission head did or did not do but what the prime ministers let her do or leave undone.”

Orbán said he had not supported von der Leyen’s re-election because he had deemed her performance weak in light of the guidelines issued by the European Council.

Patriots for Europe third largest force in the EP

Meanwhile, Orbán said “the next stage of change” was expected at national elections. Austria is holding one later this year and “many governments are teetering” in Europe, raising the possibility of early elections, and Germany will hold regional elections, he said.

“I hope that the mix of prime ministers will change and we will be able to give better instructions, as well as get better at holding [von der Leyen] to account,” he said.

“One shouldn’t see one’s own employee as an opponent,” he said. At the same time, prime ministers “representing flawed stances . and party leaders working against Hungary in the EP should be considered opponents, like [European People’s Party leader] Manfred Weber, who is known to hate Hungarians and promote war and migration,” Orbán said.

The Patriots for Europe party family is now the third largest force in the EP, Orbán said, adding it would be the second largest once it had forged alliances.

He said he hoped patriotic forces would achieve a breakthrough at upcoming elections in Austria and other countries, “which will be complemented by the US presidential election.”

“Patriots will be in the majority in the world by the end of the year,” he said. Meanwhile, Orbán said it was “a problem” that European leaders were not doing what the people wanted them to.

Working for family-friendly, anti-migration and pro-peace Europe

“People across Europe all want peace instead of war, but the left is pro-war,” the prime minister said. “People want migration to be stopped, but the left is pro-migration. The people don’t want . a family bond that is important to them — which organises life around a man, a woman and raising children — to be mocked with all kinds of other forms of cohabitation being raised to the same level, let’s call it gender, but the left is pro-gender.”

Orbán said people wanted national sovereignty and national pride, which the left had never wanted and even considered “dangerous”.

He said there was a clear right-wing programme and vision offered by the newly-established political group of patriots which envisioned and was working for a “family-friendly, anti-migration and pro-peace Europe of nations led by proud patriots”.

Orbán also said that improving European competitiveness is a central topic of Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. Hungary will put forward a competitiveness pact at the European Council meeting in Budapest on 8 November, which it has already discussed with France, Italy and Germany, Orbán said.

“Competitiveness is important, it’s about how we live: if we’re competitive we’re well off, if we’re not competitive then we’re badly off,” he said.

The matter is closely connected to the war, he said. “Improving competitiveness is extremely difficult as long as enormous amounts of money flow into funding the war in Ukraine.”

Peace-time budget on the horizon?

Orbán said the funding for Ukraine had well exceeded 100 billion forints (EUR 256m), “syphoning funding from European farmers, e-transition and road, bridge and railway development”.

Therefore, standing up for peace is equivalent to standing up and working for Hungary, he said.

In a time of peace, Hungary would immediately find itself in another economic situation, and more possibilities could be opened up for people, he said. As long as the war is ongoing, Hungary’s budget must remain a “war budget”. “Once we can broker peace, we can move on to a peace-time budget.”

The main points of a 2025 budget designed for peace-time, which would double this year’s economic growth, “is already waiting in a desk drawer”, Orbán said. “That is how big of a difference peace or war makes.”

Concerning his peace mission, Orbán said von der Leyen and European liberals were “naive people”, so they could not be accused of war profiteering. “I’m not accusing either von der Leyen or the pro-war European leaders of being in the back pocket of George Soros-time dollar speculators,” he said. “It’s more that they think they can establish peace by getting the warring sides to see reason and they expect a peace mission to get the warring sides to stop firing at each other the next day.”

Three power centres: China, the United States and the EU

Orbán said this was a “misunderstanding” as demonstrated by the strike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv. He said a peace mission was necessary because if there wasn’t one, the war would keep escalating and those living in the warzone would suffer increasingly severe losses. The prime minister noted that he had spoken with both sides and had prepared a report on his talks which said that the sides did not want peace.

Orbán said neither side would not see on their own that peace was better than war because they believed that they could win and continuing the war was advantageous to them. “War is a question of strength, and if the two sides don’t want peace then we must ask whether the major global power centres are willing to take action in the interest of peace,” he said.

He said these three power centres were China, the United States and the EU. “If these three power centres speak the same language and reach an agreement with each other on the need for peace, then we can get the warring sides to sit down and agree on a ceasefire,” Orbán said. He said China was pro-peace and the US would be as well “once President Trump comes [into office]”, with the EU being the last remaining power centre needed to get the warring parties to the negotiating table.

Orbán said the essence of the peace mission was resilience. “I’m talking to someone every day about some kind of possibility, detail and new initiatives,” he said. He added that he always informed the public about his talks afterwards because “the peace mission has a lot of opponents, so if the next step is known ahead of time, many will be making efforts to make sure it doesn’t happen”.

He said those in Europe had “dug themselves deep into the trenches”, and it was “hard to climb out of there” and pursue a policy of peace. He added, however, that he believed there would be a shift in Europe as well that would come on the day of the US presidential election at the latest, “but it would be better if this wasn’t a turnaround made in panic but rather a well-thought-out process”.

Pro-war forces so tense

Concerning the assassination attempt against former US President Donald Trump, Orbán said the number of “spectacular assassination attempts that grab the world’s attention is rising, and all of them are being committed against anti-war pro-peace politicians”.

He said the “pro-war forces” were “so tense … and organised” that they were trying to eliminate “pro-peace forces”.

He noted that he had met Trump two days before the assassination attempt, with their talks lasting over two hours. The Republican presidential nominee, he added, “is in good shape and ready to fight”, and “this was probably clear in the way he survived the assassination attempt.”

“Thank God he didn’t let himself get killed,” Orbán said, adding he hoped this meant that God had plans for the former president. “And what else could God’s plan be in this time of war than for someone to finally bring peace?”

Orbán said he and Trump had also spoken about economic issues, and Trump’s programme contained points he would “happily” adopt to Hungary as early as next year. He said Trump’s proposal to make tips tax-exempt was “remarkable”, adding he saw no reason to tax tips in Hungary, either. Hungary “is constantly getting ideas” from Trump’s economic programme, which were all subject of the discussion between them, he said.

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Historical moment: PM Orbán takes over EU’s rotating presidency – PHOTOS

PM Orbán takes over EU's rotating presidency (2)

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán formally took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months at a meeting with Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo in Brussels on Monday, the government’s official site said.

PM Orbán takes over EU's rotating presidency (2)
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán formally took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months at a meeting with Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo in Brussels on Monday.

After the meeting, Orbán and President Tamás Sulyok inspected the recently renovated Hungarian House building, which will be one of the main venues of the Hungarian presidency.

PM Orbán takes over EU's rotating presidency (2)
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, President of the Republic Tamás Sulyok and his wife Zsuzsanna Nagy in front of the recently renovated Hungarian House in Brussels on 1 July 2024. Photo: MTI

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Charles Michel, President of the European Council, in Brussels on 1 July 2024:

PM Orbán takes over EU's rotating presidency (2)
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Charles Michel, President of the European Council, in Brussels on 1 July 2024. Photo: MTI

PM Orbán takes over EU's rotating presidency (2)
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Charles Michel, President of the European Council, in Brussels on 1 July 2024.. Photo: MTI

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PACE: ‘CoE ignores own principle in connection with Kosovo’s membership’, says Hungarian politican

pace németh zsolt kosovo

On Tuesday, Zsolt Németh, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said that since the Council of Europe ignores its own principles in connection with Kosovo’s accession to the body, Hungary cannot support a related proposal.

Németh is attending the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that is set to vote on a report recommending Kosovo’s CoE membership in the evening.

He told MTI by phone that although Hungary highly appreciated Kosovo’s achievements over the past decades, its delegation to the assembly would vote against the proposal on that country’s accession.

“Kosovo has failed to deliver on its pledges, one of which was to ensure Serbia’s territorial autonomy,”

Németh said, adding that as a result, “tension prevails in Kosovo’s domestic politics”.

It is in Hungary’s interest that “Kosovo should enter the international community as a strong democracy,” he said.

As we wrote a few days ago, the Hungarian foreign minister chose between Serbia and Kosovo, details HERE.

  • read also: PM Orbán gets controversial award in Bosnia: Croatians, Bosnians may be outraged, details HERE

 

Venice Commission examines Hungary’s sovereignty protection law

Daily News Hungary Logo Új

The Venice Commission said on Tuesday that it had examined Hungary’s law on sovereignty protection, focusing on provisions related to foreign election financing and the establishment and activities of the sovereignty protection office.

The advisory body to the Council of Europe said in a statement that the legal basis of the office as the protector of constitutional identity was questionable.

It said it was usual for state institutions to guarantee fundamental rights through the courts and law enforcement agencies, and the sovereignty protection office must not interfere with the constitutional powers of the courts and those agencies, adding that there was no evident need for such an office.

Moreover, guarantees under the law for the office’s independence were insufficient, it said, noting that the government was responsible for appointing and dismissing its top officials. Further, the office’s powers were “extremely broad and vaguely defined”, with the risk that the office could interfere in the lives of private individuals.

The body argued that the arrangements may also stifle free and democratic debate in Hungary.

It also referred to restrictions on the foreign financing of political parties, arguing that whereas restrictive measures were in line with international standards in principle,

the law’s provisions extended beyond electoral campaigns to cover political activity in a broader sense and campaigns for social change. “The reason and need for such a broad approach have not been substantiated by the Hungarian authorities,” the body said.

The part of the law expanding a ban on accepting foreign financing was compatible with international standards, it said, only on condition that the provisions were amended to provide for certain exceptions of the new restrictions and for more precise definitions.

The body recommended repealing the parts of the law concerning the establishment of the sovereignty protection office and, among other things, recommended a more nuanced definition of the concept of “foreign support”, as well as a more precise definition of the prohibited activities and their foreign financing in the new provisions of the election law.

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CoE calls on Hungary to improve assistance to human trafficking victims

council of europe coe

Although Hungary has made progress in the implementation of the CoE’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, the country’s authorities should make further efforts to improve assistance to victims of human trafficking, the Council of Europe’s GRETA group of experts said in a report released on Monday.

Authors of the report noted that the number of identified human trafficking victims in Hungary was 754 from 2019 to 2022 which marks a significant increase compared to the previous period covered by GRETA. According to the report, most identified victims were women and minors with sexual exploitation remaining the main form of exploitation.

The report welcomed the adoption of a new national anti-trafficking strategy, as well as guidelines issued by the chief prosecutor’s office to facilitate the detection and prosecution of human trafficking cases. It also welcomed law amendments ensuring human trafficking victims free legal aid in criminal, civil and administrative proceedings. The report however noted that in practice victims have limited access to free legal aid and called on Hungarian authorities to remedy the situation.

In its report, GRETA expressed concern that only a few trafficking victims have received compensation from the perpetrators or the state and urges authorities “to systematically inform victims of their right to claim compensation, to make full use of the existing legislation on the seizure and confiscation of criminal assets”.

The report welcomed the law amendment which precludes punishment of minors for providing sexual services, it however urged the Hungarian authorities to adopt a specific legal provision and guidance on the non-punishment of victims of trafficking.

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The European Parliament moving towards extremism?

European Union European Parliament eu presidency

The European Parliament has moved “towards extremism, transgressing the most fundamental democratic rules and attacking not only Hungary but the European Commission for negotiating with Hungary on certain issues,” Balázs Hidvéghi, an MEP of ruling Fidesz, told public Kossuth Rádió on Sunday morning.

Hidvéghi insisted it was “detrimental” to European cooperation that “the EP refuses to accept that Hungary’s position is different from theirs on the hottest issues such as the war or aid to Ukraine, or moral topics like LGBT propaganda and child protection.”

The MEP suggested that differing views should be tolerated, adding that threatening Hungary with stripping the country of its voting rights in the EU “beats everything”. He added, however, that procedures to deny Hungary its voting rights could be initiated by one third of the European Commission or of member states, while the European Council should pass a unanimous decision. “There is no realistic chance for that,” he said.

Hidvéghi slammed the EP for its “debates characterised by defamation, unfounded, extremist remarks and complete rejection of different positions”, saying those phenomena “clearly show the workings of the Soros network”. “This network has infiltrated European institutions … through various organisations and activists and is increasingly aggressive against differing opinions … they will stigmatise anyone that has views differing from theirs,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said, “people in Western Europe are not asked about crucial social and political issues … voters are forced to face measures to change society, concerning LGBT themes, or the war.” “What is happening in Brussels does not reflect the majority opinion … Brussels has become a closed-off, ideological and aggressive centre … and we must fight that,” he said.

Read also:

  • EP elections to be ‘eye-opener for Brussels’, says Orbán’s political director – Read more HERE
  • Orbán’s Fidesz: Fundamental changes needed in Brussels

Mijatovic calls on Hungary parliament to reject sovereignty package

Dunja Mijatovic

Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, on Monday called on the Hungarian parliament to reject a package of bills for setting up a sovereignty protection office “that would be vested with broad powers to investigate any organisation or person suspected of serving foreign interests or threatening national sovereignty”.

As we wrote before, The government has submitted to lawmakers a draft bill on protecting national sovereignty and an amendment to the Fundamental Law which opens up the possibility of establishing a Sovereignty Protection Office, details HERE.

The bill, if adopted, posed “a significant risk to human rights”, she said.

According to the commissioner, the new office would have “unlimited authority to request sensitive data and private information from anyone, without oversight and without any legal remedy.”

The draft is “so vague that the invasive scrutiny of the proposed office could be weaponised against anybody who may be considered an adversary due, for instance, to activities aimed at influencing democratic debate,” she said.

Mijatovic recalled her earlier warnings in connection with measures by the Hungarian government “to impose arbitrary restrictions to the indispensable work of human rights NGOs and defenders in the country.”

“If this proposal is adopted, it will provide the executive with even more opportunity to silence and stigmatise independent voices and opponents,” she added.

“Draft laws with such far-reaching consequences on the functioning of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Hungary should undergo comprehensive scrutiny and meaningful consultation before they are submitted to Parliament,” she said.

“I call on the Hungarian Parliament to shelve these proposals and use its legislative and oversight powers to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms in line with the European Convention and the core values of the Council of Europe,”

Mijatovic said.