NGOs

Pro-government NGO urges gauging European opinion on migration

The head a pro-government NGO has called for the opinion of ordinary Europeans to be gauged on the issue of migration.

“Brussels’ institutions and European governments can only stay in place if people are asked in short order about the flood of migrants and illegal migration,” László Csizmadia of the Civic Union Forum (COF) told a press conference on Wednesday.

He said candidates in next year’s European parliamentary elections who “overlook the opinion of citizens” would perform badly.

Hungary’s government, he said, was “interested in what people have to say” and had conducted a survey which resulted in the conclusion that “there is no need for a transfusion of migrants”.

“But protecting Europe’s borders and guaranteeing security for families is an obligation.”

Human smugglers, he added, should be “strictly penalised” and “collaborating civil groups” exposed.

Concerning COF and associated COKA foundation, Csizmadia said they would remain as a civil grouping aimed at “preserving national sovereignty and protecting Christian society, respecting subsidiarity and the will of the majority”.

COF-COKA spokesman Zoltán Lomnici Jr. said his organisation had appealed to the EP’s petition committee. It will also approach the European Ombudsman concerning a recent document adopted by the EP’s LIBE committee, which he said was “laden with false claims” concerning topics “outside the scope of the committee” as well as issues that had been “long settled” between the EU and Hungary.

“This is mainly about exerting pressure; it’s an attack on Hungary’s sovereignty,” he said, adding that COF-COKA would use “all legitimate means” to mount a counterattack.

Featured image: MTI/AP

June 27, 2018

Hungarian government to examine Venice Commission’s opinion on ‘Stop Soros’ laws

The Hungarian government will examine the Venice Commission’s recently released opinion on the “Stop Soros” package of laws on illegal migration passed last week, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee said in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

Speaking to MTI by phone, Zsolt Németh said that in his address at Tuesday’s session of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly he asserted that Hungary’s new legislation was not aimed against humanitarian work.

The new laws serve solely to prevent the activities of certain “sham humanitarian organisations” and individuals that promote illegal migration, Németh said.

In its opinion released on Friday, the Venice Commission called for repealing certain provisions of the laws, saying that those seriously impair legitimate NGO work.

Németh said that if the commission’s opinion contains recommendations “that can be applied in policy making”, the Hungarian government would implement them.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/MagyarországKormánya

June 27, 2018

Orbán: Authorities have everything needed to protect Hungary – Interview

Hungary’s government and parliament have all the tools they need to protect the country from migration, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday.

In his regular interview to public Kossuth Radio, Orbán said that Hungary still needed a well-equipped military irrespective of the migration issue.

If Hungary faced an armed threat today, its military would only have a limited capability to counter it, the prime minister argued.

Orbán called the “Stop Soros” package of laws and related constitutional amendments approved by parliament this week “nice, sophisticated pieces of legal work”. He said it would be “very difficult” for anyone to find fault in a parliamentary decision that had been supported by 80-90 percent of lawmakers.

Orbán noted that both decisions had been among the campaign promises of the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat parties in the runup to this April’s general election.

The new constitutional amendment declares Hungary’s national sovereignty “unbreakable”, defines the country’s constitutional identity and the penal code makes illegal migration and support for it punishable criminal offences, the prime minister noted.

He said there was “nothing wrong” with civil groups wanting to exercise political influence in Hungary, adding, however, that they had a duty to declare any foreign funding they receive. But when it comes to migration, which he said Hungary considered a national security issue, the government does not accept NGOs wanting to influence policymakers, Orbán added.

As regards the European debate on migration, the prime minister said there were three main questions on the EU’s agenda: border protection, the future of migrants already in Europe and the question of who should be allowed to enter the bloc moving forward and where authorities should separate genuine refugees and economic migrants. The central European countries believe this last issue should be dealt with outside the EU’s borders, he added.

Orbáunion said there were three sides within the EU with varying views on migration. One is the Visegrad Group comprising Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, now “joined by” Austria and Italy. The second is Germany, which has its own internal disagreements on the issue and the third are northern member states which Orbán said were locked in their own heated debates.

The prime minister also touched on Thursday’s V4-Austria summit, saying that the V4 alliance had never been as strong as it is now. “In fact, we are the engine of Europe’s economy,” he said. And on migration, the V4 have always said that Europe should provide help to others “without destroying ourselves”, he added. “Time has shown that this approach was the right one.”

In connection with the Budapest visit of the European Council president on Friday, Orbán said Donald Tusk had “reached out to us” after the European Commission decided to convene an EU “mini-summit” on migration for Sunday in Brussels.

But since the council president is the only one with the authority to convene a high-level meeting of EU heads of state and government this whole affair shows that EU institutions operate improperly, Orbán said, adding that his talks with Tusk would most certainly address this issue.

As regards next week’s EU summit, Orbán said its main focus would be on migration, adding that he would welcome if issues on which there is consensus among member states featured high on the agenda.

Concerning debates surrounding his ruling Fidesz party’s membership in the European People’s Party (EPP), Orbán said having such debates “is just normal”, adding that Hungary’s interest lay in a strong, united EPP.

Asked whether Hungary’s 2019 budget should be redrafted in light of fresh inflation outlook data, Orbán said the answer is a “definite no”, adding that the outlook for higher inflation did not justify any correction.

He explained that

global oil prices are among the biggest factors affecting Hungary’s CPI at present, and the budget can’t be planned based on such a “volatile” factor.

A range for inflation has to be determined and the budget should be based on the median of that range; that provides stability, he added.

Orbán noted that pension increases are already linked to inflation, providing those Hungarians especially sensitive to price changes additional security.

He reiterated that the 2019 budget bill contains significantly higher reserves because of “signs of crisis looming on the horizon”, citing the risk of rising interest rates, trade wars and high rates of public debt among some EU member states.

Photo: MTI

June 22, 2018

Hungarian parliament passes ‘Stop Soros’ bills

Parliament on Wednesday passed the “Stop Soros” package of laws that penalise activities in support of illegal migration.

The bills contain amendments to the penal code that sanction entities or organisations that “facilitate illegal migration” or help with the asylum application procedures of migrants arriving from safe countries.

The bills define the promotion of illegal migration as an organised activity which helping a person not in danger of persecution to submit an asylum request or to obtain a title of residence.

Financially supporting illegal migration, gaining from it financially or undertaking such activities within 8km of the border are punishable with one year’s prison sentence.

Under the new law, surveillance of the border, gathering or distributing information, and setting up or running a network will also qualify as organisation of migration.

Parliament has also changed the refugee law, under which asylum applications submitted by persons arriving from safe countries shall be rejected.

According to the proponent of the package, the new laws are in line with the Geneva Convention, which ensures protection to those only that arrive directly from lands where their life or freedom were in danger.

Under the proposal, parliament has changed the law on Hungary’s borders, stipulating that anyone being prosecuted under charges of crimes in connection with border protection shall be banned from within 8km of the border, except for people who have been residents in that zone for at least 5 years.

The new laws will take effect on the first day of the month following its publication.

The bills, submitted by the interior minister and requiring a two-thirds majority to pass, was approved with 160 votes in favour and 18 against.

Parts of the package requiring a two-thirds majority were supported by deputies of the ruling parties, Jobbik, independent Dóra Dúró, and Imre Ritter, representative of the German minority,

while the Socialist and Párbeszéd group, independent Anett Bősz, and Ákos Hadházy, who has just announced his quitting the LMP party, voted against. All other representatives stayed away from the vote.

On Tuesday, the government submitted a bill seeking to introduce a 25 percent special tax on organisations that support migration with a view to contributing to government spending on the handling of migration. Revenue from the tax will be spent exclusively on border protection measures, according to the bill. Read more HERE.

Photo: MTI

June 20, 2018

Organisations supporting migration to pay 25 pc immigration tax

The tax bill to be submitted to parliament later on Tuesday contains a 25 percent immigration tax to be paid by organisations supporting migration, the finance ministry said on Tuesday.

The government seeks to employ all possible methods to protect the country from illegal migration, the ministry said in a statement. Tax policy measures are a part of the effort besides the border fence, new border protection laws and the “Stop Soros” package of bills, the statement said.

Protection against illegal migration is a substantial burden on the Hungarian budget and therefore to Hungarian citizens, the ministry said.

The government proposes that, according to the principle of equal taxation, organisations helping migration should bear their share of that burden by paying a 25 percent special tax, it said.

The finance ministry will submit its proposal for 2019 tax changes later on Tuesday, Mihály Varga, the finance minister, said. Varga said that the package “contains the most changes of all times aimed at simplifying taxation”.

If the package is passed into law, the proposed tax cuts will leave several hundred billion forints with taxpayers, he added.

Under the proposal, the personal income tax will be kept at 15 percent, and the corporate business tax at 9 percent, Varga said.

The tax benefits for families with children will be raised further, Varga said. For example he mentioned that families with two children will enjoy a monthly benefit of 40,000 forints (EUR 123), raised from 35,000 forints this year, which will help 380,000 families save a total 20 billion forints next year.

The social security tax for companies will be cut from 19.5 percent to 17.5 percent, leaving a total 130 billion forints with businesses, Varga said.

The value added tax of heat-treated UHT and ESL milk will also be reduced from 27 percent to 5 percent, Varga said.

June 19, 2018

Foreign minister: UN rights commissioner has declared war against Hungarian government

The UN human rights commissioner has declared war against the Hungarian government for seeking to ensure the security of the Hungarian people in the face of illegal migration, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Monday.

In a statement, Szijjártó responded to Zeid Raad al-Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who criticised the immigration policies of America, China, Myanmar and Hungary during Monday’s opening of the 38th session of the World Human Rights Council.

The high commissioner criticised Hungary for the “Stop Soros” bill which seeks to impose restrictions on organisations that aid refugees and penalise human rights monitoring at borders and their surrounding areas.

Szijjártó said he would “appraise the high commissioner of the facts”, namely that more than 330 people had died in the last three years and more than 1,300 people had been injured in Europe “due to the attacks of terrorists with a migrant background”.

The minister said illegal migration was considered a national security issue. The “Stop Soros” bill aims to stop and punish everyone who organises illegal migration with a view to “flooding Europe with migrants”.

Featured image: MTI

June 19, 2018

Liberals propose opposition shadow committee to shield NGOs

The Hungarian Liberal Party has proposed setting up an opposition shadow committee with a view to “protecting” civil groups from the government’s “Stop Soros” law.

Though the opposition is outmatched against the ruling two-thirds majority, “with clever joint action, it can steer Hungarian society back onto a path where people aren’t driven by hate and anger but by common sense,” Anett Bősz, the party’s caretaker leader, told a press conference.

Bősz, who sits in parliament as an independent, invited all opposition parliamentary groups to consult on Tuesday on setting up such a committee.

Asked about the Socialist Party’s leadership election this past weekend, Bősz expressed her hope that the Socialists can start to “truly reinvent themselves”.

Asked about the relationship potential between the Socialist and Liberal parties, she said: “The world of politics isn’t the world of hurt feelings”. Bősz voiced hope that the two parties would be capable of working together in the parliamentary cycle ahead and that they would “come together” in their opposition to the “Stop Soros” bill and the government’s constitutional amendment proposal.

Ruling Fidesz said in response that it was “unbelievable” that the opposition parties were looking out for the “Soros organisations” rather than the Hungarian people.

“The opposition proves time and again that they are mercenaries of Soros,” Fidesz said in a statement.

“The Liberals are still talking about ‘steering’ Hungarians back onto the right path, which obviously means that Hungary should take in migrants. Fidesz believes that it is not the Hungarian people, but rather the Soros network organising illegal migration that needs to be regulated,” the party added. “That is what the Stop Soros package is about.”

Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on the “Stop Soros” package of bills that would criminalise the organisation of illegal migration on Wednesday.

June 18, 2018

Opposition calls on government to sign CEU agreement

The leftist opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has called on the government to sign the agreement enabling the Central European University (CEU) to continue its operations in Budapest.

Hungary tightened rules governing the operations of foreign universities in the country last year, requiring foreign colleges and universities in Hungary to operate on the basis of an interstate agreement and to run a campus in the country in which they are based.

Gergely Arató, DK’s education spokesman, told a news conference on Monday that the agreement to be signed between the State of New York and the Hungarian government that would create the “otherwise completely unnecessary” legal conditions for CEU’s continued operations has been on the government’s table since September.

Arató said it was already clear last April when the higher education law was changed that the amendment had only been introduced to “make things harder on” CEU.

And the Venice Commission’s report on the law made it clear that the legislation was unfair and violated international law, he added.

CEU, founded by US billionaire George Soros, has said that the amended legislation would make its continued operations in Budapest impossible. The university has complained that it was targeted by the amendment because it has no campus in the United States.

Last autumn, CEU said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Bard College to provide educational activities in New York.

Last month, CEU signalled its intent to remain in Budapest after the Open Society Foundations (OSF), also financed by Soros, announced plans to move its headquarters to Berlin.

Arató said if CEU moved its operations to Vienna, those who would lose out on the university’s departure would not be CEU or Soros, but rather Hungarian students and professors and the Hungarian higher education system.

Featured image: www.ceu.edu

June 11, 2018

NGOs hold solidarity demonstration against ‘Stop Soros’ bill

Civil groups held a solidarity demonstration to protest against the government’s “Stop Soros” bill in front of Parliament on Monday, with speakers saying that rights organisations are not criminals and the bill violates basic rights.

Around fifty activists attended the event organised by Amnesty International (AI) which featured a ten-metre tall red, heart-shaped balloon showing the word “civil”.

Helsinki Committee co-leader Márta Pardavi said it was the government, rather than civil groups, that needed to change its position.

She asked lawmakers not to approve the bill.

AI Hungary director Júlia Iván said tens of thousands have expressed solidarity over the attacks against Hungarian civil organisations.

On Tuesday MPs are scheduled to debate the bill dubbed “Stop Soros” which would introduce amendments to the measures against illegal migration.

Ruling Fidesz said the Soros network is protesting against “Stop Soros” and the constitutional amendment because they want to move migrants to Europe and the “Stop Soros” package of laws will prevent this.

In addition to protesting in Kossuth Square on Monday, they have tried to use their influence in every possible way to remove Hungary from the way of the “Soros plan”, the party said in a statement. Soros’s allies have launched attacks against Hungary’s anti-migration government and against Fidesz in Brussels, in the United Nations, in EU institutions and the international press, the statement added.

Featured image: MTI

June 4, 2018

Ruling Fidesz vows to support criminalising organisation of illegal immigration

Ruling Fidesz’s parliamentary leaders are in favour of a stricter version of the “Stop Soros” package of bills, especially its proposal to write the organisation of illegal migration into the criminal code, the party’s group leader said on Monday.

Máté Kocsis noted at a press conference that

the bill defines the promotion of illegal migration as an organised activity which illegally helps a person not in danger of persecution to submit an asylum request or to obtain a title of residence.

The penalty is 5 to 90 days imprisonment.

A sentence of a year’s imprisonment awaits anyone found guilty of financially supporting illegal migration or gaining from it financially if their activity takes place within 8km of the border.

Illegal activities include surveilling the border and soliciting, collecting or distributing data with a view to promoting illegal migration. Setting up a network to organise illegal migration is also a punishable offence, Kocsis said.

Meanwhile, Kocsis was asked to comment on press reports suggesting that Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) wanted to tie Fidesz’s membership of the European People’s Party to the Venice Commission’s opinion of the “Stop Soros” bill.

The Hungarian government, accordingly, must reach an agreement with the Central European University (CEU) on the CEU’s continued operations in Budapest.

Kocsis insisted that the EPP had not given the government “any kind of ultimatum”.

He added, at the same time, that it was “completely obvious” that the EPP had come under “serious pressure” from the “Soros network”, arguing that international rights group Human Rights Watch, which he said had urged Fidesz’s expulsion from the EPP, was also funded by the “Soros network”.

“They want to remove Hungary and Fidesz” as obstacles to illegal migration, Kocsis insisted.

The government will, however, consider the Venice Commission’s opinion of the “Stop Soros” bill.

But it will not budge on its stance that Hungary does not want to become a “country of immigrants”, he added.

Photo: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu

May 28, 2018

Hungary censured by European Parliament’s education committee

The European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) has made several serious criticisms regarding the situation in Hungary.

Members of the committee on Wednesday voted 13:4 to approve the opinion which stated that it was regrettable the dispute between the European Commission and the Hungarian government regarding Hungary’s higher education law had not been resolved to date.

Hungary, it noted, has the right to its own education laws but these must not conflict with freedom rights of the internal market.

The committee put the matter of Hungary’s higher education law on the agenda in March in connection with a report on Hungary being drawn up by the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). The CULT opinion will be included in the LIBE report.

The committee said the protracted case of the Central European University (CEU) and the agreement regarding the university’s operations was problematic. It called on the government to sign the agreement since the CEU had fulfilled the prescribed conditions.

Meanwhile, the committee said the European Commission had not been careful enough in its examination of the 2010 Hungarian media law.

It cited rules on cross-ownership which, it said, caused distortions and imbalances in the media market.

Ownership concentration has intensified on the Hungarian media market and many independent local broadcasters and television stations have disappeared, it said, adding that the public service broadcaster generally spread government messages uncritically.

Spending on public advertisements favours certain companies at the expense of others, while government spending on adverts tends to be directed towards government-dominated and “oligarch-controlled” media outlets, it said.

The committee also expressed concerns about the situation of freedom and diversity of the press, as well as the narrowing space for civil society organisations.

It also said forms of everyday discrimination against Roma were numerous and segregation of Roma children in schools was systemic.

Given the situation in higher education, discrimination against Roma, problems with press freedom and the situation of NGOs, there is a clear risk of serious violations of EU values, justifying the launch of Article 7 of the EU treaty, the committee said.

Andrea Bocskor, an MEP for ruling Fidesz, responded as saying that the committee’s critical remarks are unfounded and the assessment is politically biased.

“The members of the committee have completely disregarded objective facts and the actual situation; they have in fact decided in advance that Hungary must be punished and pillorised,” she said.

Bocskor said that “by threatening Hungary with a procedure under Article 7, the political left obviously wants to put pressure on the Hungarian government, force it to compromise on its policies, yield to the will of the Brussels mainstream and sacrifice the country on the altar of the ‘open society’ concept”.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/EuropeanParliament

May 16, 2018

CEU signals intent to remain in Budapest

The Central European University (CEU) has signalled its intent to remain in Budapest after the Open Society Foundations (OSF), also financed by US billionaire George Soros, announced plans to move its headquarters to Berlin.

“With the announcement of the departure of the Open Society Foundations from Budapest, Central European University (CEU) reaffirms its determination to remain in Budapest and to fulfill its teaching and research mission in the city that has been our home for the past 26 years,” the university said in a statement on Tuesday.

CEU believes it is in “full compliance” with a new rule requiring foreign universities in Hungary to operate a campus in the country in which they are based, the university said.

Rector Michael Ignatieff urged Hungary’s government to sign an agreement with the State of New York “without further delay” to allow CEU to comply with another requirement of the legislation.

For that matter, Vienna signed an agreement recently with Central European University about establishing a new campus. According to the document, a historic building will be rented by CEU for 99 years. The private university established by George Soros also pledged to preserve the building in its current proper status.

Michael Ignatieff said that though the campus in Vienna has been a big dream, they still consider Budapest as the true home of CEU.

Featured image: www.ceu.edu

May 16, 2018

Fidesz elects Máte Kocsis parliamentary group leader

Ruling Fidesz lawmakers have elected Máté Kocsis leader of their parliamentary group in a unanimous vote, Gergely Gulyás, the outgoing group leader and incoming government office chief, said in Budapest on Thursday.

Kocsis told a news conference that Fidesz planned to amend the constitution with a view to outlawing the relocation of migrants to Hungary.

He added that the proposal to make the relevant change to the fundamental law had failed in 2016 “due to Jobbik’s turncoat policy”, and it should be resubmitted to parliament.

Kocsis said that

parliamentary discussions on the “Stop Soros” package of laws on penalising NGOs that aid migration would carry on.

Meanwhile, he said the government’s goals remained unchanged: preserve Christian culture, protect the external borders, achieve full employment and continue the government’s family support policies.

Gulyás said that

the group has nominated László Kövér for another term as Speaker of Parliament.

Fidesz has nominated Sándor Lezsák and István Jakab as deputy speakers, and KDNP’s nominee is János Latorcai, he said.

Csaba Hende is to head the legislative committee which is tied to the post of deputy House speaker.

Referring to a Jobbik plan to dismantle a cordon to be erected around the square in front of Parliament on the day of the house’s inaugural meeting, Gulyás said that by now Jobbik should have come to terms with its election defeat and act accordingly.

Asked about Fidesz’s action in 2007 to tear down the fence in Kossuth Square, he said the square at that point had been cordoned off for months. “Now it is a matter of no one disturbing the inaugural session,” he said.

Gulyás also said the goal was to pass next year’s budget before parliament went to its summer break, which he said could be at the end of July.

As we wrote today, the strongest opposition party, Jobbik has set up its parliamentary group and elected Márton Gyongyösi as its group leader at a meeting.

Photo: MTI

May 3, 2018

Open Society Foundations to hold off decision on future in Hungary until ‘Stop Soros’ law passed

US financier George Soros’s Open Society Foundations will hold off their decision on whether or not to leave Hungary until the government’s planned law on NGOs is passed, an OSF spokesman told Reuters on Friday.

“We are in the process of thinking, of planning, weighing our options,” Csaba Csontos was quoted as saying. “The government has committed to passing the Stop Soros law… It will be a symbolic step which serves to stifle non-government groups,” he said.

“At this moment we need to think about how that might affect us who support them, and how we might proceed.”

Reuters said Csontos declined to confirm reports that OSF was leaving Budapest for Berlin.

In the wake of reports that OSF are leaving Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in his regular Friday interview to public broadcaster Kossuth Radio, said: “Listeners will perhaps understand if I don’t shed crocodile tears.” At the same time, Orbán said he expected conflicts to continue with Soros organisations, even if OSF left Hungary.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/OpenSocietyFoundation

April 20, 2018

Orbán: Soros and the Open Society Foundations are crashing out

In the wake of a report that the Open Society Foundations (OSF) are leaving Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in his regular Friday interview to public broadcaster Kossuth Radio, said “they are crashing out right now”.

In a statement after Austrian daily Die Presse said that the OSF, funded by US billionaire George Soros, was planning to close its Budapest office and move to Berlin this summer, the OSF released a statement qualifying the report, saying it was “closely watching developments around the draft legislation that would dramatically restrict the activities of civil society in Hungary”.

Asked about the Die Presse report, Orbán said: “Listeners will perhaps understand if I don’t cry crocodile tears.”

At the same time, Orbán said he expected conflicts to continue with Soros organisations, even if the OSF left Hungary.

“I know they won’t accept the outcome of the election; they will organise all sorts and they have unlimited financial means,” he said, referring to organisations financed by billionaire George Soros.

Referring to a list of “members of the Soros network” published by the weekly Figyelő last week, Orbán said transparency was at the heart of European policy and the press should continue to “help people to know the truth” and uncover “as many networks and cooperation as possible”. If they do not shy away from accepting money from abroad, they should not shy away from admitting to it, he added.

Orbán said his job was to defend Hungary against speculators.

He also said the most important issue of the next decade would be immigration. “It is a moral obligation to talk about it, and the message must get into every household a hundred times, and if need be a thousand times.”

Of the UN migration package proposal published earlier in the month, Orbán said Hungarians see migration as “a bad thing” to be curbed rather than encouraged. Everyone should be supported in making a living in their own homeland, he said. European civilisation, which is rooted in Christianity, must be protected, he said.

The prime minister said the European Union, which is to vote on migration rules in June, undermined the principles of democracy by attempting to cement decisions on migration policy a year before the EP elections. This, he insisted, would force the hand of the newly elected officials, he said.

Speaking of the results of the April 8 general election, Orbán said he was “happy and glad” to know that about 650,000 more had voted for the ruling alliance than in 2014, and 336,000 more than the supporters of all opposition parties combined.

Fidesz-KDNP has won everywhere, from the villages to the capital, he said.

Orbán pledged to serve all Hungarians. Those who did not vote for Fidesz-KDNP are also members of the Hungarian nation, he said.

All are free to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and association, Orbán said, referring to demonstrations since the election. He asked the demonstrators to protest peacefully.

Regarding those requesting a recount of the votes, Orbán said: “This is like winning 4:0 and then the opponent wants a recount. The match is over.”

Featured image: www.facebook.com/OpenSocietyFoundations

April 20, 2018

Orbán radio interview: PM’s office to be revamped, Soros ‘crashing out’

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in his regular Friday interview to public broadcaster Kossuth Radio, said he planned to reorganise the Prime Minister’s Office when the new government is formed.

He also said that Mihály Varga, the economy minister, will stay as head of the economic cabinet.

Orbán said he wanted to transform the government’s “brain center” and create a different management structure.

“Serious negotiations” are under way and will continue over the weekend, he added.

He said he wanted the government to be formed as soon as possible.

Orbán said, however, there were no plans to set up new ministries. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said. It’s worth keeping the current system with large ministries headed by high-powered officials, he added.

The new government will have “some of the same people” while keeping the “old targets unchanged”, he said. “The people voted to preserve the government’s targets” not for continuity in terms of personnel, he added.

The prime minister said that, like in past years, parliament should pass next year’s budget before the summer break. He said he had already held talks about this with Varga, whom he described as “an extremely talented and experienced minister”.

Commenting on demographics and family support, Orbán said he wanted to sign a comprehensive agreement on the outlook the government can offer to Hungarian women for the next 20-30 years. “Demographics depend on them; it is their decision,” he said. Having children is a highly personal issue but one that is important to the community, he added. The job of the government is to listen and understand women if they want to have children, Orbán said.

Commenting on the outcome of the general election, he said voters had underlined their support for the government’s essential targets such as economic growth coupled with fiscal rectitude, full employment, support for families, preserving the value of pensions and guaranteeing security by “not yielding to Europe in immigration policy and maintaining Hungary as a Hungarian country”.

In the wake of a report that the Open Society Foundations are leaving Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said “they are crashing out right now”.

Orbán said his job was to defend Hungary against speculators.

He also said the most important issue of the next decade would be immigration. “It is a moral obligation to talk about it and the message must get into every household a hundred times, and if need be a thousand times.”

Featured image: www.facebook.com/OrbánViktor

April 20, 2018

Fidesz spokesperson slams ‘pro-migration Soros organisation’ after court ruling

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee NGO is a “pro-migration Soros organisation”, Fidesz spokesman János Halász said on Thursday after a court said Halász did not bear personal responsibility for defaming the NGO but ordered the ruling party to pay a fine of 400,000 forints (EUR 1,300) and issue a public apology for claiming the organisation had operated in an unlawful and non-transparent manner.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee said in a statement that the Metropolitan Court agreed with its complaint that Fidesz’s claims about the committee were false but Halász’s personal responsibility had not been established. The court said Halász was simply doing his job when he voiced the party’s position.

Responding to the ruling, Halász told public media that the Hungarian Helsinki Committee was financed by US billionaire George Soros and served his aims. The NGO “is involved in the migrant business up to its jugular” and represents the interests of migrants in court procedures, such as in the case of two Bangladeshi migrants demanding millions in compensation from the Hungarian state, he added.

The committee regularly files complaints about Hungary in Brussels and at the United Nations,

it cooperates in the preparation of reports written in Brussels condemning Hungary, and refuses to accept the outcome of the April 8 general election, Halász said.

It is because of such “pro-migrant organisations threatening national security” that the new parliament to be formed in May should include the “Stop Soros” package of laws on its agenda as soon as possible, he added.

The NGO sued after Halász told a press conference last April that the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and other NGOs had colluded to withhold information in the public interest requested by the daily Magyar Hírlap. At the time, he said: “These Soros organisations are secretive about their assets and the people they finance” and he claimed the Hungarian Helsinki Committee had broken the law.

April 19, 2018

Fidesz-KDNP MEP group rejects planned European Values Instrument

‘It is unacceptable that the NGOs to be supported from EU funds are planned to be “selected in Brussels under political criteria”‘, the European parliamentary group of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance said on Tuesday.

The EP’s plenary session discussed plans to establish a European Values Instrument, it said.

The instrument is meant to support NGOs promoting democracy, the rule of law and fundamental values in EU member states.

The group rejected the proposal, arguing that the instrument would enable Brussels to determine which civil organisations are useful for the EU and which ones are required on national or local level.

“This is against common sense and infringes on the principle of subsidiarity,” it said.

The proposal would also interfere with the grassroots structure essential to these organisations. EU funding would cast doubt on the independence of the NGOs singled out and thereby pose a question on their responsibility, it said, concluding that the new instrument would endanger the essence of democracy.

April 18, 2018