Latest news with #TransparencyofPublicLife
Budapest Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Kocsis: MPs won't hold vote on transparency law before the summer
Máté Kocsis, the Fidesz parliamentary group leader, said the transparency law will not be included on the legislative committee's agenda and MPs will not hold a vote on it before the summer. Kocsis told news portal Index on Wednesday that Fidesz was united behind making use of a law to protect sovereignty, but a debate was underway about what form the relevant legislation should take. A debate on the transparency law will be postponed until the autumn, and professional organisations will be consulted on its contents in the meantime, he added. Besides proposals from Fidesz MPs, the Hungarian Banking Association, the Hungarian Advertising Association, the presidential Sándor Palace, the Hungarian Bar Association and the Hungarian Newspaper Publishers Association have stated their views too, he added. Fidesz believes at the same time, that professional organisations such as organisations financed from abroad, 'pseudo-civil groups' and media actors that would fall under the scope of the law would not have a say in the drafting of the legislation, he said. They had generally sent 'ad hominem criticisms' rather than constructive suggestions, he said, and these 'cannot be taken into account in the legislative process'. Kocsis referred to the 'Ukrainian espionage case', saying it was 'a good example of why sovereignty must be protected'. He insisted that 'Ukrainian propaganda' was based on 'fake recordings' that had led to the false impression that Hungary was readying itself 'for military aggression against Ukraine'. Far from being the case, the case 'highlights that disinformation campaigns are indeed taking place' against Hungary, Kocsis added. Such disinformation, he added, did not just appear from abroad but in certain parts of the Hungarian press too. The Fidesz politician said that whereas protecting sovereignty was a decisive issue in the long term, it was important to clarify what means could be used to combat it. Disinformation campaigns related to the Russia-Ukraine war and other matters related to sovereignty protection would probably end up being handled separately, he said. Fidesz MP János Halász submitted the bill on the Transparency of Public Life to parliament in mid-May, and it would open up the possibility of blacklisting organisations financed from abroad that threaten Hungary's sovereignty.
Euronews
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Russia hits Kyiv with massive drone and missile attack
The European Commission has demanded that Hungary withdraw a controversial draft law aiming to limit foreign funding of NGO's and media organisations in a fresh political campaign against foreign interference. Critics fear the draft Hungarian bill titled "Transparency of Public Life', which was tabled in the Budapest parliament on 13 May, would offer the Hungarian government sweeping powers to crack down on the press and critical voices in civil society. The law would enable authorities to register foreign-funded NGOs and media on a list, if the government sees them as a threat to national sovereignty, and freeze funding. Severe fines are envisaged where funds continue to flow from overseas sources. A spokesperson at the Commission told Euronews that the executive is aware of the draft law and is following its evolution closely. "The Commission has great concerns with this draft. If adopted as it is, it would constitute a serious breach of EU principles and law. Therefore, we ask that this draft be withdrawn from the legislative process," the spokesperson said. 'We will not hesitate to take the necessary action if this draft is adopted,' the spokesperson said. "The Commission places great importance on the role of civil society and remains committed to protecting the freedom of association and fostering an enabling environment for its work across the EU, including as regards access to funding," the spokesperson added. The spokesperson also recalled that last year the Commission referred Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union because it considers the law establishing the Sovereignty Office and its investigative activities to be in breach of EU law. This week a group of MEPs called on the Commission to freeze EU funding for Hungary with immediate effect because of alleged backsliding on rule of law by the government of Premier Viktor Orbán. The letter, published on Tuesday, was addressed to European Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin and Commissioner for Democracy and Justice Michael McGrath and signed by 26 MEPs from five different political groups. Euronews has contacted the Hungarian government for comment. The draft bill is part of Viktor Orbán's self-styled 'Spring Clean' campaign, announced by the Prime Minister in March. The ruling Fidesz party maintains that foreign actors, such as USAID funds and the European Commission, interfere in Hungarian politics by financing NGOs and media organisations. 'Ultimately, Hungary's transparency law is not just a legal instrument, but also a clear political statement: Hungarian democracy is accountable only to the Hungarian people,' Fidesz MEPS Tamás Deutsch and Kinga Gál told reporters earlier this week. According to the government, in 2022, several million dollars of foreign funding was used by opposition politicians to campaign against the government. Talking in Budapest after a recent European Parliament debate on Hungary, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó made clear the government is unwilling to back down on the law. 'They're right to be concerned, but for the wrong reason,' he said, adding: 'They shouldn't worry about the transparency law, but about foreign interference in the political life of an EU country.' Last weekend, tens of thousands of Hungarians protested over the draft on the streets of Budapest. On Wednesday, the European Parliament staged a debate on the latest developments related to the rule of law in Hungary. Many MEPs called for action from the European Commission. Talking to Euronews, the Hungary rapporteur of the European Parliament, Tineke Strik, said the law was a "copy paste of Russia's foreign agents law". She said that the European Court of Justice could annul the law if it is adopted. 'The European Commission cannot suspend the law, but the European Commission can immediately go to the Court of Justice and ask the Court to immediately take a measure to suspend this, because there is an ongoing procedure already about the Sovereignty Protection Law of a time ago and the Court is looking at this case,' Strik said. 'But what the Commission can do is say, look, there's an urgency here, so I ask you to take an interim measure to avoid any irreversible harm from being done,' the Dutch MEP added.. More than 80 newspapers and media organisations across the European Union have signed a letter protesting against the law, saying it will further limit the freedom of expression in Hungary. And on Thursday, 320 civil society organisations published a letter calling on the European Commission to take immediate action. They called on President von der Leyen to immediately request the Court of Justice of the European Union to grant interim measures in the ongoing infringement procedure, to publicly urge the Hungarian government to withdraw the bill, and to open a new infringement procedure, in case Hungary refuses requests to do so. EU ministers are slated to discuss the potential use of the bloc's Article 7 sanctions regime in the context of alleged backsliding on the rule of law in Hungary when they meet on Tuesday for a General Affairs Council in Brussels. Ukraine's capital came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack overnight and into early Saturday that left at least 15 people injured, according to Ukrainian officials. The assault came amid a prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kyiv. Russia and Ukraine on Saturday completed a significant prisoner exchange of hundreds of soldiers and civilians after Friday's first stage of the deal was reached following talks last week in Istanbul. Explosions and machine gunfire were heard throughout Kyiv as many sought shelter in subway stations. Yurii Bondarchuk, a resident, said the air raid siren 'started as usual, then the drones started to fly around as they constantly do.' Moments later, he heard a boom and saw shattered glass fly through the air. 'The balcony is totally wiped out, as well as the windows and the doors,' he said, describing the damage to his apartment as he stood in the dark of the night, smoking a cigarette to calm his nerves. At the same time, firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. Kyiv's mayor, Vitalii Klitschko, warned residents ahead of the attack that more than 20 Russian strike drones were heading toward the city. As the attack continued, Klitschko said drone debris fell on a shopping mall and a residential building in the Obolon district of Kyiv. Emergency services were headed to the site, he added. The Kyiv City Military Administration said it was one of the largest combined missile and drone attacks on the capital. Russia launched Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones overnight, it said. 'A difficult night for all of us,' the administration said, adding that Ukrainian forces shot down 6 missiles and neutralised 245 drones—128 drones were shot down and 117 were thwarted using electronic warfare. At least six metropolitan neighbourhoods in the Ukrainian capital were hit by the debris of drones and intercepted missiles. Tymur Tkachenko, the acting director of Kyiv's military administration, reported that two fires were started in the city's Solomianskyi area and that six people needed medical attention following the attack. The Obolon district, where a residential building was heavily damaged in the attack, was the hardest hit. There were at least five wounded in the area, the administration said. The air raid alert in Kyiv lasted more than seven hours, warning of incoming missiles and drones. The assault came amid a prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kyiv. On Friday, Russia and Ukraine completed a significant prisoner exchange of hundreds of soldiers and civilians, the first stage of a deal reached during talks last week in Istanbul. On Saturday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Ukraine had achieved the release of 307 Ukrainians from Russian imprisonment in the second round of its largest prisoner swap with Russia, a claim confirmed by Russia. The deal was a unique instance of collaboration in otherwise fruitless attempts to end the over three-year war. The sole concrete outcome of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, which took place in Istanbul on May 16 for the first time since 2022, was reportedly an agreement on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap. Earlier on Friday, President Zelenskyy said the first phase of the deal brought home 390 Ukrainians, with further releases this weekend, which will make it the largest swap of the war. Russia's Defence Ministry have said it received the same number of people from Ukraine. On Saturday, Russia said an additional 307 Russian prisoners of war (POWs) have been returned from Ukraine and are en route to Belarus. Earlier this week, European leaders accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts while he tries to press his larger army's battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land. On Tuesday, the EU agreed to what it called a 17th package of sanctions on Russia that "cuts off Russia's access to key military technology and curbs Russia's energy revenues." Brussels described the new sanctions as the most wide sweeping since the start of the war. They also come despite the meeting of Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul, whose outcome has so far shown that the two sides were still at odds over important terms for putting an end to the fighting. A temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful resolution is one such requirement for Ukraine, supported by its Western allies. "The longer Russia wages war, the tougher our response," High Representative Kaja Kallas declared this week after foreign ministers of the European Union formally adopted a new round of sanctions against Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The measures blacklisted 189 vessels belonging to Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet", bringing the total number of ships under restrictions to almost 350. The following day, Poland made a startling announcement. "A Russian ship from the 'shadow fleet' under sanctions was performing suspicious manoeuvres near the power cable connecting Poland and Sweden," Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on social media. "After effective intervention by our military, the ship sailed to one of the Russian ports." The coincidence of events exposed, once again, the formidable challenges that the EU faces in its year-long mission to crack down on the obscure flotilla of decrepit tankers that Moscow has deployed at sea in a bold and dangerous attempt to bypass the stringent economic restrictions imposed by the West. Political focus on the "shadow fleet", as it is commonly known, has steadily grown since June 2024, the first time that Brussels designated Russian-operated oil tankers and denied them access to EU ports and EU services. Back then, the logic behind the blacklist centred primarily on preventing large-scale circumvention. But a series of incidents in the Baltic Sea, including one in December that saw Finland seize an oil tanker suspected of deliberately cutting a critical undersea cable, caused widespread alarm and brought to light the extreme risks the "shadow fleet" poses to the bloc's security and environment. Last week, Estonia issued a stark warning: Russia is now willing to protect its ageing ships with military force, if necessary, to enable its duplicitous trade of seaborne oil. The message came after the country intercepted a suspicious vessel navigating its waters without seemingly having a flag or insurance. After Estonian authorities stopped the ship, a Russian military plane appeared on the scene. "This fighter jet violated NATO territory for one minute. This is something very new," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said at a NATO meeting in Turkey. "We need to understand that Russia has officially tied and connected itself to the Russian shadow fleet," he stressed. "We need to understand that the situation is really serious." The Kremlin assembled its "shadow fleet" in response to the price cap on Russian seaborne oil that the G7 and Australia established in December 2022 after months of intense negotiations. The ground-breaking initiative prohibited Western companies from providing key services to Russian tankers, such as insurance, financing and flagging, that sold crude oil above an agreed-upon price tag of $60 per barrel. The G7 introduced two additional caps for premium-to-crude products ($100 per barrel) and discount-to-crude products ($45 per barrel). With international scrutiny at an all-time high, Moscow resorted to poorly-kept tankers, some aged 20 years or older, managed by convoluted structures designed to obscure their real ownership and operator. The ships were given sub-standard insurance, outside the market-leading coalition, and "flags of convenience" from countries reluctant to follow Western restrictions, such as Panama, Liberia and the Marshall Islands. Over time, the Kremlin amassed a large fleet comprising as many as 650 tankers capable of evading the surveillance of G7 allies through a range of deceptive practices, such as transmitting falsified data and turning off transponders to become invisible. The gamble paid off: since 2022, Russia has consistently sold Urals oil at a price exceeding the $60 cap, reaching as high as $85 in April last year. China and India have replaced Europe as Russia's top oil clients, providing vital income for the war economy. But it also came with considerable costs: according to the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), Moscow has spent $10 billion to build the armada, which today handles the majority of Russia's crude oil trade worldwide. In Brussels, the blatant circumvention soon turned into an increasingly untenable problem, aggravated by the awkward fact that a sizable share of these run-down tankers have been sold to Russia by Western European firms, particularly those in Greece. Notably, the bloc has refrained from introducing a straightforward ban on the sale or ownership transfer of tankers to Russia, despite having forbidden thousands of other exports that Moscow badly needed. Instead, it introduced a notification system under which EU companies and individuals are obliged to alert these transactions if the potential buyer is connected to Russia. The sale is, by default, prohibited unless the national authority gives authorisation. After several rounds of sanctions, the EU has expanded its blacklist to 342 vessels from the "shadow fleet", some of which have also been targeted by the UK and the US. The bloc has imposed individual sanctions on companies that enable the evasion of the G7 price cap, most recently VSK, a prominent insurer of Russia's energy sector. Ursula von der Leyen has said more penalties are on their way. "This signals that, after nearly three years, Western governments are beginning to take the issue seriously," Petras Katinas, an energy analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), told Euronews. The continued designation has helped curb the fleet's maritime activities, as ports are increasingly reluctant to accept cargos from blacklisted ships, Katinas said. The latest monthly report from CREA shows that the share of "shadow" tankers to transport Russian oil has fallen from 65% in January to 53% in April, with the remaining 47% done by tankers owned or insured by G7 countries, which must comply with the price cap. However, several loopholes remain. For example, ship-to-ship transfers, which Russia uses to disguise the origin of its crude oil and sell it deceitfully on the global markets. "These operations should be banned outright, as they pose a clear risk to sanctions enforcement and maritime safety," Katinas said. The impenetrable obscurity that surrounds the "shadow fleet" has turned the crackdown into a whac-a-mole of sorts: as soon as one vessel is blacklisted, another one emerges from the shadows. Sometimes, even those blacklisted manage to pull through. "Data clearly shows that simply sanctioning vessels is not enough. More robust enforcement is needed to ensure these designations have a real impact," said Yuliia Pavytska, manager of the sanctions program at the Kyiv School of Economics Institute. "Not all sanctioned vessels remain idle after being listed," she cautioned, noting that many ships loaded Russian oil "at least once" after being added to the EU's blacklist. A potential game-changer could involve introducing stringent limitations on the transit of "shadow fleet" vessels through European waters to hinder their navigation abilities. "Though this would likely require the strongest political will and action," Pavytska admits. International maritime law provides the right of innocent passage that compels all states to guarantee unimpeded, non-discriminatory transit for foreign vessels. The right entails a heavy burden of proof to justify the boarding and seizure of a foreign ship, which is considered a radical option that must be based on clear grounds of illegal activity, as Finland did when it stopped Eagle S on suspicion of sabotage and vandalism. In theory, stretching the interpretation of this right to empower authorities to intercept and halt "shadow fleet" vessels on a wide and regular scale would allow the EU to bring its crackdown, criticised for being too incremental, to the next level of effectiveness. But it could easily backfire by setting a bad example to the rest of the world: in a recent study, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) warned such an aggressive plan would embolden "revisionist states", such as China, Iran and Russia, to "abuse the system more than they already have" and "leave the West more vulnerable to charges it already faces of inconsistency in the application of global principles".
Euronews
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
EU Commission demands Hungary withdraws its draft transparency law
The European Commission has demanded that Hungary withdraw a controversial draft law aiming to limit foreign funding of NGO's and media organisations in a fresh political campaign against foreign interference. Critics fear the draft Hungarian bill titled "Transparency of Public Life', which was tabled in the Budapest parliament on 13 May, would offer the Hungarian government sweeping powers to crack down on the press and critical voices in civil society. The law would enable authorities to register foreign-funded NGOs and media on a list, if the government sees them as a threat to national sovereignty, and freeze funding. Severe fines are envisaged where funds continue to flow from overseas sources. A spokesperson at the Commission told Euronews that the executive is aware of the draft law and is following its evolution closely. "The Commission has great concerns with this draft. If adopted as it is, it would constitute a serious breach of EU principles and law. Therefore, we ask that this draft be withdrawn from the legislative process," the spokesperson said. 'We will not hesitate to take the necessary action if this draft is adopted,' the spokesperson said. "The Commission places great importance on the role of civil society and remains committed to protecting the freedom of association and fostering an enabling environment for its work across the EU, including as regards access to funding," the spokesperson added. The spokesperson also recalled that last year the Commission referred Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union because it considers the law establishing the Sovereignty Office and its investigative activities to be in breach of EU law. This week a group of MEPs called on the Commission to freeze EU funding for Hungary with immediate effect because of alleged backsliding on rule of law by the government of Premier Viktor Orbán. The letter, published on Tuesday, was addressed to European Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin and Commissioner for Democracy and Justice Michael McGrath and signed by 26 MEPs from five different political groups. Euronews has contacted the Hungarian government for comment. The draft bill is part of Viktor Orbán's self-styled 'Spring Clean' campaign, announced by the Prime Minister in March. The ruling Fidesz party maintains that foreign actors, such as USAID funds and the European Commission, interfere in Hungarian politics by financing NGOs and media organisations. 'Ultimately, Hungary's transparency law is not just a legal instrument, but also a clear political statement: Hungarian democracy is accountable only to the Hungarian people,' Fidesz MEPS Tamás Deutsch and Kinga Gál told reporters earlier this week. According to the government, in 2022, several million dollars of foreign funding was used by opposition politicians to campaign against the government. Talking in Budapest after a recent European Parliament debate on Hungary, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó made clear the government is unwilling to back down on the law. 'They're right to be concerned, but for the wrong reason,' he said, adding: 'They shouldn't worry about the transparency law, but about foreign interference in the political life of an EU country.' Last weekend, tens of thousands of Hungarians protested over the draft on the streets of Budapest. On Wednesday, the European Parliament staged a debate on the latest developments related to the rule of law in Hungary. Many MEPs called for action from the European Commission. Talking to Euronews, the Hungary rapporteur of the European Parliament, Tineke Strik, said the law was a "copy paste of Russia's foreign agents law". She said that the European Court of Justice could annul the law if it is adopted. 'The European Commission cannot suspend the law, but the European Commission can immediately go to the Court of Justice and ask the Court to immediately take a measure to suspend this, because there is an ongoing procedure already about the Sovereignty Protection Law of a time ago and the Court is looking at this case,' Strik said. 'But what the Commission can do is say, look, there's an urgency here, so I ask you to take an interim measure to avoid any irreversible harm from being done,' the Dutch MEP added.. More than 80 newspapers and media organisations across the European Union have signed a letter protesting against the law, saying it will further limit the freedom of expression in Hungary. And on Thursday, 320 civil society organisations published a letter calling on the European Commission to take immediate action. They called on President von der Leyen to immediately request the Court of Justice of the European Union to grant interim measures in the ongoing infringement procedure, to publicly urge the Hungarian government to withdraw the bill, and to open a new infringement procedure, in case Hungary refuses requests to do so. EU ministers are slated to discuss the potential use of the bloc's Article 7 sanctions regime in the context of alleged backsliding on the rule of law in Hungary when they meet on Tuesday for a General Affairs Council in Brussels.
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.
