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Budapest Times
12-07-2025
- Business
- Budapest Times
Bóka: Péter Magyar's platform is being drafted in Brussels
Minister Bóka said Péter Magyar is helping foreign-funded civil groups to be given free rein to conduct political activities in Hungary. János Bóka, Hungary's EU affairs minister, said on Tuesday that another chapter has been added to opposition Tisza Party leader Péter Magyar's platform in Brussels in the form of the document entitled 'Rule-of-law Recommendations', adding that the document was 'nothing more than a politically-motivated order for Magyar'. In a post on Facebook, Minister Bóka said the aim of the recommendations was for 'foreign-funded so-called civil groups to be given free rein to conduct political activities in Hungary, for which they could receive an unlimited amount of foreign funding in an uncontrolled manner'. The minister said the aim was also for 'foreign-funded media' to receive public funding, and for 'smear campaigns against right-wing politicians and public figures to become an institutionalised practice based on the Polish model'. 'This is not about the protection of the rule of law, but about institutionalised political pressure,' he said. 'Brussels has also drafted Péter Magyar's economic policy programme in advance; these are the European Semester recommendations,' Minister Bóka said He said Brussels wanted to scrap Hungary's regulated utilities price scheme, the interest rate freeze and the mandatory caps on markups. Brussels also wanted Hungary to phase out home creation subsidies, scrap taxes on excessive corporate profits and tax refunds on diesel fuel for farmers, he added. 'The aim is to draft an economic policy that serves Brussels's expectations against the interests of the Hungarian people,' Minister Bóka said. He said Brussels had made it clear that 'Magyar can say whatever he wants in the campaign, but Ukraine has to be admitted to the European Union before 2030', regardless of what the European people may think about this and what consequences this may have for Europe. 'Magyar's platform is being drafted in Brussels,' Minister Bóka said. 'It goes by many names — recommendation, reform, report — but the essence is always the same: they want to control Hungary from Brussels through a puppet government.'
Budapest Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Hungary will not become a puppet state of Brussels
Brussels has unveiled its latest Rule of Law Report, a document that reads more like a political manifesto authored by Péter Magyar's team than a legal assessment. In truth, this is just the newest chapter in an ongoing effort by the European Commission to dismantle the key achievements of Prime Minister Orbán's governments and impose foreign political control over Hungary. What Brussels proposes under the guise of 'rule of law' is nothing less than a demand to open Hungary to foreign-funded political influence operations. The Commission wants civil society groups—particularly those backed by foreign donors and often aligned with anti-government agendas—to operate without restrictions. They would receive unchecked funding from abroad, bypassing Hungarian regulatory and transparency frameworks. Under a proposed directive on 'European cross-border associations,' such groups would enjoy immunity from national oversight while gaining access to Hungarian taxpayer funds. This is not support for genuine civil society—it's an attempt to institutionalize a political pressure network in Hungary, managed from Brussels and bankrolled by interests opposed to Hungarian sovereignty. The same foreign-backed media outlets that serve these networks could also tap into public funds under this model, alongside their overseas financing. Beyond media and NGOs, the rule of law report also foreshadows aggressive political targeting. The report implies support for Polish-style legal proceedings against conservative politicians and public figures—procedures that have already been used to intimidate political opponents elsewhere in the region. The goal is clear: silence voices that challenge Brussels' ideology and replace them with compliant actors like Péter Magyar. Economically, the attack is no less severe. Brussels' economic recommendations—already visible in the European Semester—demand the dismantling of core protections implemented by PM Orbán's governments: abolishing utility price caps, scrapping interest rate and retail margin limits, removing homeownership support, ending windfall profit taxes, and cutting diesel subsidies for Hungarian farmers. Each of these steps would directly harm Hungarian families, small businesses, and the agricultural sector. The political subtext is unmistakable. Despite whatever promises Péter Magyar may make at home, the European Commission has already written his program for him. And it includes fast-tracking Ukraine's EU accession by 2030, regardless of Hungary's position or interests. Prime Minister Orbán's governments have consistently defended Hungary's independence—from resisting forced migration quotas to safeguarding economic sovereignty. These new moves from Brussels are a blatant attempt to replace Hungary's democratically chosen direction with policies dictated from abroad. As the prime minister has often emphasized, Hungary's achievements must be protected. This is not the time to surrender sovereignty for vague promises or ideological conformity. Hungarians must ask: do we want to be governed through external pressure and foreign-funded networks, or do we continue the path we have chosen—one of sovereignty, stability, and national interest? The answer must be clear: we will not let Brussels dictate Hungary's future.
