Latest news with #TinekeStrik
The Guardian
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Dozens of MEPs to attend Budapest Pride in defiance of Viktor Orbán
Dozens of MEPs are expected to attend the Pride march in Budapest later this month, in defiance of the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who has tried to ban the event. In a debate in the European parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs from liberal, left and green groups pledged to be in Budapest on 28 June for the parade to show solidarity with gay Hungarians. The pledges came after the city's mayor said the event would go ahead, circumventing a law that allows police to ban LGBTQ+ marches. Gergely Karácsony said on Monday that the march would be a municipal event – and a celebration of freedom – so 'no permits from authorities are needed'. 'In this city, there are no first- or second-class citizens … neither freedom, nor love can be banned, and the Budapest Pride cannot be banned either,' Karácsony said. Iratxe García Pérez, the Spanish leader of the Socialist group in the European parliament, addressed gay people in Hungary directly during the debate on Wednesday: 'We see you, we hear you and on 28 June we will march with you in Budapest, side by side, proud and loud.' Tineke Strik, a Dutch Green MEP, who recently led a delegation of lawmakers to Hungary, said she and 70 European deputies would be in Budapest. 'Me and 70 colleagues will do what the commission won't. We will come to the Pride. We will show the Hungarians that they are not alone.' Amsterdam's mayor Femke Halsema and a junior Dutch minister have also said they will attend the event, according to local media. The European commissioner for democracy and justice, Irish politician Michael McGrath, who took part in the debate, did not respond to repeated requests to join the event in Budapest. McGrath confirmed the commission was examining the Hungarian law that outlaws Pride marches over its compatibility with EU law and provisions on fundamental rights. 'The European commission is ready to use all its tools to ensure that EU law is upheld right across our union,' he said. The commission is already taking legal action against Hungary over a 2021 law that bans LGBTQ+ content from schools and primetime TV, meaning pupils wondering about their sexuality cannot access help, while shows or adverts reflecting themes of tolerance may be impossible to air during peak viewing hours. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion In a significant step, a senior legal scholar – known as an advocate general – at the European court of justice sided with the commission, finding that the Hungarian law banning LGBTQ+ content was based on 'prejudice that homosexual and non-cisgender [transgender] life is not of equal value'. The court follows the advocate general's opinion in most cases. Kinga Gál, a member of Orbán's Fidesz party and vice-president of the far-right Patriots for Europe group, said the debate was 'nothing new' and 'perfectly fits into the witch hunts and hysteria we have experienced for several years about Hungary'. In the right-leaning parliament, Hungary found vocal support in far-right and nationalist MEPs from France, Italy, Spain and Germany. Christine Anderson of the Alternative for Deutschland party, said: 'Where you see scandal, I see reason, common sense and decency,' while accusing the commission of running an 'inquisition'. MEPs from the centre-right were muted in support of gay rights, focusing on concerns over freedom of assembly and democratic standards. 'Opposition is rising in Hungary and Orbán is clearly afraid,' Tomas Tobé, a Swedish member of the European People's party, said. 'They are doing everything they can to limit freedom of speech, restrict freedom of assembly and prevent people from determining their own future.' The EPP is allied to Péter Magyar, a former Fidesz insider who is widely seen to present the most serious electoral challenge to Orbán since his return to power in 2010.
DW
22-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
EU eyes action over Hungary's planned Russian-style law – DW – 05/21/2025
Can the EU rein in the Hungarian government and discourage it once again from pushing through a "transparency law" that critics say amounts to a crackdown on activists and media? Tens of thousands of Hungarians took to the streets over the weekend after the Hungarian government tabled new legislation to monitor foreign funding for NGOs and media outlets or anyone deemed a threat to what it sees as Hungarian sovereign interest. The bill is labeled "Transparency of Public Life' and the government says it is aimed at protecting Hungary's sovereignty from outside interference. But activists say it mimics Russia's foreign agent law and would similarly offer the Hungarian government sweeping powers to crack down on the press and critical voices in civil society. The protests are the latest cry for help from Hungarians looking at the European Union to rein in their government. Some of the protesters in front of the parliament in the Hungarian capital Budapest held a big flag of the European Union imprinted with the English word HELP. Hungarians want the EU to notice how their government is violating the EU's values and rein it in. Image: Ferenc Isza/AFP What is Hungary's new 'transparency law?' If the draft bill were to turn into law, activists say, the government could control media outlets and NGOs or even dissolve them. In December 2023, Hungary passed a national law on the "Defence of Sovereignty" and established what it called a Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) to investigate organizations that use foreign funds to influence voters. With the new law, that agency will be responsible for investigating all kinds of organizations and authorized to blacklist those who receive foreign funding without prior government approval. If blacklisted, organizations will also lose access to donations through Hungary's annual 1% income tax contribution scheme, potentially pay a fine of 25 times these funds, and their owners will be made to declare their assets. Reports suggest that the country's secret services have been authorized to assist SPO in any investigations. Tineke Strik, Hungary rapporteur of the European Parliament, told DW that Hungary's transparency bill was aimed at "dissolving all organizations, all media outlets, even punishing all individuals, that criticize the government. That is exactly what the Russian law does." Russia's foreign agent law was adopted in mid-2022, in what human right organizations described as a smear campaign to discredit legitimate Russian civic activism. "The law expands the definition of foreign agent to a point at which almost any person or entity, regardless of nationality or location, who engages in civic activism or even expresses opinions about Russian policies or officials' conduct could be designated a foreign agent, so long as the authorities claim they are under 'foreign influence,'" the NGO Human Rights Watch said. DW speaks with Viktor Orban's main rival, Peter Magyar To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Hungary's 'transparency' bill 'authoritarian' Peter Magyar, the leader of Hungary's opposition Tisza party and the only Hungarian politician seen to be a credible challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 14-year grip on power, also accused the government of adopting Russian-style legislation to strip funding for activists and journalists, including through EU grants. He said it was "copying its master, [Russian President ] Vladimir Putin." A statement signed by 300 international organizations including the human rights organization Amnesty International described the bill as an "authoritarian attempt to retain power" that "aims to silence all critical voices and to eliminate what remains of Hungarian democracy." The non-profit group Transparency International said the new bill threatened to "end civil society" and, if passed, would empower the government to "persecute with impunity." It said the law would apply to EU grants and foreign donations as small as €5 ($5.70), and that "vague language" adopted in the bill left "wide room for political misuse, threatening a broad swath of civil society — including independent media, watchdog organizations, and ordinary citizens engaged in public life." Last year, Georgia adopted a similar law amidst much uproar at home and in Brussels. The move is suspected to have scuttled the country's chances of joining the EU. But while Georgia is an EU candidate nation, Hungary is a full-fledged member of the bloc. Anger in Hungary at Pride ban and restriction of freedoms To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video How can EU ensure Hungary aligns with the bloc's value system? Zsuzsanna Vegh, a program officer at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said that theoretically the EU could move ahead with the Article 7 procedure it first initiated in 2018. The Treaty on the European Union outlines a procedure for addressing serious and persistent breaches of EU values by member states underArticle 7 . It allows for the suspension of certain rights, including voting rights in the Council of the European Union, if a member is determined to be in repeated violations of the EU's fundamental principles, such as weakening rule of law, democracy and freedoms. "The EU could declare that there is indeed systematic violation of democracy and rule of law in Hungary and suspend its voting rights" in the Council of the European Union, where the bloc debates and decides its policies, Vegh said. "But that is still a political decision and it is unlikely." In April, Hungarians protested against a government decision to ban gay pride marches. Image: Peter Kohalmi/AFP/Getty Images Some European parliamentarians have advocated that the EU slash Hungary's funding to force it to reduce corruption that has an adverse impact on the EU's financial interests. But experts say the same method could also be effective in encouraging Hungary to stick to the EU's value system. "We urge the European Commission to increase pressure on Viktor Orban's government to cease violating EU values and EU Laws by immediately suspending all EU funding for Hungary in line with the applicable legislation to protect the Union's financial interest," more than two dozen EU parliamentarians wrote in a letter to the European Commission on May 20. Vegh said that while some funds for Hungary had already been cut there was no precedent of the EU cutting all funding marked for a member state. However, Teona Lavrelashvili, a visiting fellow with the Wilfried Martens Center in Brussels, said this could be done. "Yes, the European Union can suspend funds to Hungary if its new transparency bill — or any law — undermines the rule of law or threatens the EU's financial interests. This power comes from the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism." She contended that a law that weakens civil society also undermines the EU's overall economic interests. Some experts argue that the EU could suspend Hungary's voting rights to teach it a lesson and make it align with the EU's value system, but that is still seen as a step too far. Image: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo/picture alliance What can the EU do next? The EU also has other options that it can resort to before cutting funds intended to aid economic development in Hungary and thus to benefit the general population. Back in 2017, it managed to dissuade Hungary from introducing a similar transparency law by initiating an infringement procedure, a multilayered process through which the EU expressed its displeasure to Hungary. Upon no change in Budapest's attitudes, Brussels eventually took Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) The court concluded that Hungary had "introduced discriminatory and unjustified restrictions on foreign donations to civil society organizations." Since the new bill was tabled last week, the EU has refrained from scolding Hungary and merely said it is waiting to see whether it is enacted into law. Vegh believes another infringement procedure is the EU's likely next step. But the fact that Hungary is trying to push through the law again, may require the EU to change its approach and take a more stern stand. Edited by: A. Thomas
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
EU eyes action over Hungary's planned Russia-style law
EU eyes action over Hungary's planned Russia-style law Tens of thousands of Hungarians took to the streets over the weekend after the Hungarian government tabled new legislation to monitor foreign funding for NGOs and media outlets or anyone deemed a threat to what it sees as Hungarian sovereign interest. The bill is labeled "Transparency of Public Life' and the government says it is aimed at protecting Hungary 's sovereignty from outside interference. But activists say it mimics Russia's foreign agent law and would similarly offer the Hungarian government sweeping powers to crack down on the press and critical voices in civil society. The protests are the latest cry for help from Hungarians looking at the European Union to reign in their government. Some of the protesters in front of the parliament in the Hungarian capital Budapest held a big flag of the European Union imprinted with the English word HELP. What is Hungary's new 'transparency law?' If the draft bill were to turn into law, activists say, the government could control media outlets and NGOs or even dissolve them. In December 2023, Hungary passed a national law on the "Defence of Sovereignty" and established what it called a Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) to investigate organizations that use foreign funds to influence voters. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like עם ביטוח רכב של 9 תחסכו כסף. המחיר הכי זול אצלנו באתר ביטוח רכב 9 לקבלת הצעה Undo With the new law, that agency will be responsible for investigating all kinds of organizations and authorized to blacklist those who receive foreign funding without prior government approval. If blacklisted, organizations will also lose access to donations through Hungary's annual 1% income tax contribution scheme, potentially pay a fine of 25 times these funds, and their owners will be made to declare their assets. Reports suggest that the country's secret services have been authorized to assist SPO in any investigations. Tineke Strik , Hungary rapporteur of the European Parliament, told DW that Hungary's transparency bill was aimed at "dissolving all organizations, all media outlets, even punishing all individuals, that criticize the government. That is exactly what the Russian law does." Russia's foreign agent law was adopted in mid-2022, in what human right organizations described as a smearing campaign to discredit legitimate Russian civic activism. "The law expands the definition of foreign agent to a point at which almost any person or entity, regardless of nationality or location, who engages in civic activism or even expresses opinions about Russian policies or officials' conduct could be designated a foreign agent, so long as the authorities claim they are under 'foreign influence,'" the NGO Human Rights Watch said. Hungary's 'transparency' bill 'authoritarian' Peter Magyar, the leader of Hungary's opposition Tisza party and the only Hungarian politician seen to be a credible challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban 's 14-year grip on power, also accused the government of adopting Russian-style legislation to strip funding for activists and journalists, including through EU grants. He said it was "copying its master, [Russian President ] Vladimir Putin ." A statement signed by 300 international organizations including the human rights organization Amnesty International described the bill as an "authoritarian attempt to retain power" that "aims to silence all critical voices and to eliminate what remains of Hungarian democracy." The non-profit group Transparency International said the new bill threatened to "end civil society" and, if passed, would empower the government to "persecute with impunity." It said the law would apply to EU grants and foreign donations as small as €5 ($5.70), and that "vague language" adopted in the bill left "wide room for political misuse, threatening a broad swathe of civil society — including independent media, watchdog organizations, and ordinary citizens engaged in public life." Last year, Georgia adopted a similar law amidst much uproar at home and in Brussels. The move is suspected to have scuttled the country's chances of joining the EU. But while Georgia is an EU candidate nation, Hungary is a full-fledged member of the bloc. How can EU ensure Hungary aligns with the bloc's value system? Zsuzsanna Vegh , a program officer at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said that theoretically the EU could move ahead with the Article 7 procedure it first initiated in 2018. The Treaty on the European Union outlines a procedure for addressing serious and persistent breaches of EU values by member states underArticle 7. It allows for the suspension of certain rights, including voting rights in the Council of the European Union, if a member is determined to be in repeated violations of the EU's fundamental principles, such as weakening rule of law, democracy and freedoms. "The EU could declare that there is indeed systematic violation of democracy and rule of law in Hungary and suspend its voting rights" in the Council of the European Union, where the bloc debates and decides its policies, Vegh said. "But that is still a political decision and it is unlikely." Some European parliamentarians have advocated that the EU slash Hungary's funding to force it to reduce corruption that has an adverse impact on the EU's financial interests. But experts say the same method could also be effective in encouraging Hungary to stick to the EU's value system. "We urge the European Commission to increase pressure on Viktor Orban's government to cease violating EU values and EU Laws by immediately suspending all EU funding for Hungary in line with the applicable legislation to protect the Union's financial interest," more than two dozen EU parliamentarians wrote in a letter to the European Commission on May 20. Vegh said that while some funds for Hungary had already been cut there was no precedent of the EU cutting all funding marked for a member state. However, Teona Lavrelashvili, a visiting fellow with the Wilfried Martens Center in Brussels, said this could be done. "Yes, the European Union can suspend funds to Hungary if its new transparency bill — or any law — undermines the rule of law or threatens the EU's financial interests. This power comes from the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism." She contended that a law that weakens civil society also undermines the EU's overall economic interests. What can the EU do next? The EU also has other options that it can resort to before cutting funds intended to aid economic development in Hungary and thus to benefit the general population. Back in 2017, it managed to dissuade Hungary from introducing a similar transparency law by initiating an infringement procedure, a multilayered process through which the EU expressed its displeasure to Hungary. Upon no change in Budapest's attitudes, Brussels eventually took Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) The court concluded that Hungary had "introduced discriminatory and unjustified restrictions on foreign donations to civil society organizations." Since the new bill was tabled last week, the EU has refrained from scolding Hungary and merely said it is waiting to see whether it is enacted into law. Vegh believes another infringement procedure is the EU's likely next step. But the fact that Hungary is trying to push through the law again, may require the EU to change its approach and take a more stern stand.
DW
22-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
EU eyes action over Hungary's planned Russia-style law – DW – 05/21/2025
Can the EU rein in the Hungarian government and discourage it once again from pushing through a "transparency law" that critics say amounts to a crackdown on activists and media? Tens of thousands of Hungarians took to the streets over the weekend after the Hungarian government tabled new legislation to monitor foreign funding for NGOs and media outlets or anyone deemed a threat to what it sees as Hungarian sovereign interest. The bill is labeled "Transparency of Public Life' and the government says it is aimed at protecting Hungary's sovereignty from outside interference. But activists say it mimics Russia's foreign agent law and would similarly offer the Hungarian government sweeping powers to crack down on the press and critical voices in civil society. The protests are the latest cry for help from Hungarians looking at the European Union to reign in their government. Some of the protesters in front of the parliament in the Hungarian capital Budapest held a big flag of the European Union imprinted with the English word HELP. Hungarians want to EU to notice how their government is violating the EU's values and rein it in. Image: Ferenc Isza/AFP What is Hungary's new 'transparency law?' If the draft bill were to turn into law, activists say, the government could control media outlets and NGOs or even dissolve them. In December 2023, Hungary passed a national law on the "Defence of Sovereignty" and established what it called a Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) to investigate organizations that use foreign funds to influence voters. With the new law, that agency will be responsible for investigating all kinds of organizations and authorized to blacklist those who receive foreign funding without prior government approval. If blacklisted, organizations will also lose access to donations through Hungary's annual 1% income tax contribution scheme, potentially pay a fine of 25 times these funds, and their owners will be made to declare their assets. Reports suggest that the country's secret services have been authorized to assist SPO in any investigations. Tineke Strik, Hungary rapporteur of the European Parliament, told DW that Hungary's transparency bill was aimed at "dissolving all organizations, all media outlets, even punishing all individuals, that criticize the government. That is exactly what the Russian law does." Russia's foreign agent law was adopted in mid-2022, in what human right organizations described as a smearing campaign to discredit legitimate Russian civic activism. "The law expands the definition of foreign agent to a point at which almost any person or entity, regardless of nationality or location, who engages in civic activism or even expresses opinions about Russian policies or officials' conduct could be designated a foreign agent, so long as the authorities claim they are under 'foreign influence,'" the NGO Human Rights Watch said. DW speaks with Viktor Orban's main rival, Peter Magyar To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Hungary's 'transparency' bill 'authoritarian' Peter Magyar, the leader of Hungary's opposition Tisza party and the only Hungarian politician seen to be a credible challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 14-year grip on power, also accused the government of adopting Russian-style legislation to strip funding for activists and journalists, including through EU grants. He said it was "copying its master, [Russian President ] Vladimir Putin." A statement signed by 300 international organizations including the human rights organization Amnesty International described the bill as an "authoritarian attempt to retain power" that "aims to silence all critical voices and to eliminate what remains of Hungarian democracy." The non-profit group Transparency International said the new bill threatened to "end civil society" and, if passed, would empower the government to "persecute with impunity." It said the law would apply to EU grants and foreign donations as small as €5 ($5.70), and that "vague language" adopted in the bill left "wide room for political misuse, threatening a broad swathe of civil society — including independent media, watchdog organizations, and ordinary citizens engaged in public life." Last year, Georgia adopted a similar law amidst much uproar at home and in Brussels. The move is suspected to have scuttled the country's chances of joining the EU. But while Georgia is an EU candidate nation, Hungary is a full-fledged member of the bloc. Anger in Hungary at Pride ban and restriction of freedoms To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video How can EU ensure Hungary aligns with the bloc's value system? Zsuzsanna Vegh, a program officer at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said that theoretically the EU could move ahead with the Article 7 procedure it first initiated in 2018. The Treaty on the European Union outlines a procedure for addressing serious and persistent breaches of EU values by member states underArticle 7 . It allows for the suspension of certain rights, including voting rights in the Council of the European Union, if a member is determined to be in repeated violations of the EU's fundamental principles, such as weakening rule of law, democracy and freedoms. "The EU could declare that there is indeed systematic violation of democracy and rule of law in Hungary and suspend its voting rights" in the Council of the European Union, where the bloc debates and decides its policies, Vegh said. "But that is still a political decision and it is unlikely." In April, Hungarians protested against government decision to ban gay pride marches. Image: Peter Kohalmi/AFP/Getty Images Some European parliamentarians have advocated that the EU slash Hungary's funding to force it to reduce corruption that has an adverse impact on the EU's financial interests. But experts say the same method could also be effective in encouraging Hungary to stick to the EU's value system. "We urge the European Commission to increase pressure on Viktor Orban's government to cease violating EU values and EU Laws by immediately suspending all EU funding for Hungary in line with the applicable legislation to protect the Union's financial interest," more than two dozen EU parliamentarians wrote in a letter to the European Commission on May 20. Vegh said that while some funds for Hungary had already been cut there was no precedent of the EU cutting all funding marked for a member state. However, Teona Lavrelashvili, a visiting fellow with the Wilfried Martens Center in Brussels, said this could be done. "Yes, the European Union can suspend funds to Hungary if its new transparency bill — or any law — undermines the rule of law or threatens the EU's financial interests. This power comes from the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism." She contended that a law that weakens civil society also undermines the EU's overall economic interests. Some experts argue that the EU could suspend Hungary's voting rights to teach it a lesson and make it align with the EU's value system, but that is still seen as a step too far. Image: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo/picture alliance What can the EU do next? The EU also has other options that it can resort to before cutting funds intended to aid economic development in Hungary and thus to benefit the general population. Back in 2017, it managed to dissuade Hungary from introducing a similar transparency law by initiating an infringement procedure, a multilayered process through which the EU expressed its displeasure to Hungary. Upon no change in Budapest's attitudes, Brussels eventually took Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) The court concluded that Hungary had "introduced discriminatory and unjustified restrictions on foreign donations to civil society organizations." Since the new bill was tabled last week, the EU has refrained from scolding Hungary and merely said it is waiting to see whether it is enacted into law. Vegh believes another infringement procedure is the EU's likely next step. But the fact that Hungary is trying to push through the law again, may require the EU to change its approach and take a more stern stand. Edited by: A. Thomas
DW
21-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
EU mulls options as Hungary announces Russian-style law – DW – 05/21/2025
Can the EU rein in the Hungarian government and discourage it once again from pushing through a "transparency law" that critics say amounts to a crackdown on activists and media? Tens of thousands of Hungarians took to the streets over the weekend after the Hungarian government tabled new legislation to monitor foreign funding for NGOs and media outlets or anyone deemed a threat to what it sees as Hungarian sovereign interest. The bill is labeled "Transparency of Public Life' and the government says it is aimed at protecting Hungary's sovereignty from outside interference. But activists say it mimics Russia's foreign agent law and would similarly offer the Hungarian government sweeping powers to crack down on the press and critical voices in civil society. The protests are the latest cry for help from Hungarians looking at the European Union to reign in their government. Some of the protesters in front of the parliament in the Hungarian capital Budapest held a big flag of the European Union imprinted with the English word HELP. Hungarians want to EU to notice how their government is violating the EU's values and rein it in. Image: Ferenc Isza/AFP What is Hungary's new "transparency law?" If the draft bill were to turn into law, activists say, the government could control media outlets and NGOs or even dissolve them. In December 2023, Hungary passed a national law on the "Defence of Sovereignty" and established what it called a Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) to investigate organizations that use foreign funds to influence voters. With the new law, that agency will be responsible for investigating all kinds of organizations and authorized to blacklist those who receive foreign funding without prior government approval. If blacklisted, organizations will also lose access to donations through Hungary's annual 1% income tax contribution scheme, potentially pay a fine of 25 times these funds, and their owners will be made to declare their assets. Reports suggest that the country's secret services have been authorized to assist SPO in any investigations. Tineke Strik, Hungary rapporteur of the European Parliament, told DW that Hungary's transparency bill was aimed at "dissolving all organizations, all media outlets, even punishing all individuals, that criticize the government. That is exactly what the Russian law does." Russia's foreign agent law was adopted in mid-2022, in what human right organizations described as a smearing campaign to discredit legitimate Russian civic activism. "The law expands the definition of foreign agent to a point at which almost any person or entity, regardless of nationality or location, who engages in civic activism or even expresses opinions about Russian policies or officials' conduct could be designated a foreign agent, so long as the authorities claim they are under 'foreign influence,'" the NGO Human Rights Watch said. DW speaks with Viktor Orban's main rival, Peter Magyar To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Hungary's "transparency" bill "authoritarian" Peter Magyar, the leader of Hungary's opposition Tisza party and the only Hungarian politician seen to be a credible challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 14-year grip on power, also accused the government of adopting Russian-style legislation to strip funding for activists and journalists, including through EU grants. He said it was "copying its master, [Russian President ] Vladimir Putin." A statement signed by 300 international organizations including the human rights organization Amnesty International described the bill as an "authoritarian attempt to retain power" that "aims to silence all critical voices and to eliminate what remains of Hungarian democracy." The non-profit group Transparency International said the new bill threatened to "end civil society" and, if passed, would empower the government to "persecute with impunity." It said the law would apply to EU grants and foreign donations as small as €5 ($5.70), and that "vague language" adopted in the bill left "wide room for political misuse, threatening a broad swathe of civil society — including independent media, watchdog organizations, and ordinary citizens engaged in public life." Last year, Georgia adopted a similar law amidst much uproar at home and in Brussels. The move is suspected to have scuttled the country's chances of joining the EU. But while Georgia is an EU candidate nation, Hungary is a full-fledged member of the bloc. Anger in Hungary at Pride ban and restriction of freedoms To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video What could the EU do to ensure Hungary aligns with the EU's value system? Zsuzsanna Vegh, a program officer at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said that theoretically the EU could move ahead with the Article 7 procedure it first initiated in 2018. The Treaty on the European Union outlines a procedure for addressing serious and persistent breaches of EU values by member states underArticle 7 . It allows for the suspension of certain rights, including voting rights in the Council of the European Union, if a member is determined to be in repeated violations of the EU's fundamental principles, such as weakening rule of law, democracy and freedoms. "The EU could declare that there is indeed systematic violation of democracy and rule of law in Hungary and suspend its voting rights" in the Council of the European Union, where the bloc debates and decides its policies, Vegh said. "But that is still a political decision and it is unlikely." In April, Hungarians protested against government decision to ban gay pride marches. Image: Peter Kohalmi/AFP/Getty Images Some European parliamentarians have advocated that the EU slash Hungary's funding to force it to reduce corruption that has an adverse impact on the EU's financial interests. But experts say the same method could also be effective in encouraging Hungary to stick to the EU's value system. "We urge the European Commission to increase pressure on Viktor Orban's government to cease violating EU values and EU Laws by immediately suspending all EU funding for Hungary in line with the applicable legislation to protect the Union's financial interest," more than two dozen EU parliamentarians wrote in a letter to the European Commission on May 20. Vegh said that while some funds for Hungary had already been cut there was no precedent of the EU cutting all funding marked for a member state. However, Teona Lavrelashvili, a visiting fellow with the Wilfried Martens Center in Brussels, said this could be done. "Yes, the European Union can suspend funds to Hungary if its new transparency bill — or any law — undermines the rule of law or threatens the EU's financial interests. This power comes from the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism." She contended that a law that weakens civil society also undermines the EU's overall economic interests. Some experts argue that the EU could suspend Hungary's voting rights to teach it a lesson and make it align with the EU's value system, but that is still seen as a step too far. Image: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo/picture alliance What is the EU's most likely next step? The EU also has other options that it can resort to before cutting funds intended to aid economic development in Hungary and thus to benefit the general population. Back in 2017, it managed to dissuade Hungary from introducing a similar transparency law by initiating an infringement procedure, a multilayered process through which the EU expressed its displeasure to Hungary. Upon no change in Budapest's attitudes, Brussels eventually took Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) The court concluded that Hungary had "introduced discriminatory and unjustified restrictions on foreign donations to civil society organizations." Since the new bill was tabled last week, the EU has refrained from scolding Hungary and merely said it is waiting to see whether it is enacted into law. Vegh believes another infringement procedure is the EU's likely next step. But the fact that Hungary is trying to push through the law again, may require the EU to change its approach and take a more stern stand. Edited by: A. Thomas
