• Ar
  • Es
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Feature
  • Videos
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Feature
Videos
Infographs
In Pictures
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Europe
  4. Hungary PM Orban censures Brussels for 'Hungarophobia'
Europe

Hungary PM Orban censures Brussels for 'Hungarophobia'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 21 Dec 2022 19:03
  • 2 Shares

Hungary's premier accuses the European Union of being Hungarophobic after the bloc proposed freezing some €13 billion allocated for his country in light of disputes with Brussels.

  • Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends the autumn session of parliament in Budapest, Hungary, September 26, 2022 (Reuters)
    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends the autumn session of parliament in Budapest, Hungary, September 26, 2022 (Reuters)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused Wednesday the European Union of what he called "Hungarophobia", noting that prejudice instead of graft concerns was delaying an agreement meant to be reached with Brussels over frozen bloc funds.

The European Commission recommended freezing €13 billion ($13.8 billion) in funds that were set aside for Hungary as Budapest faces mounting pressure for reforms on corruption.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said earlier that Hungary needs to be ready for serious attacks from the EU since "Brussels and the liberal propaganda machine" are not discriminating in their methods and are employing various forms of blackmail against Budapest.

Commenting on this issue, Orban lately said that the European Commission was purposefully blocking funds allocated to Hungary to alter the country's policies on a number of issues, including migration and sanctions.

On September 18, the European Commission proposed to freeze €7.5 billion ($7.8 billion) meant for Hungary over allegations of Budapest violating rule-of-law, corruption, and curtailing judiciary and freedom of the press.

The European Union launched the rule-of-law mechanism earlier this year after accusing Budapest of abusing the unanimity vote.

Earlier this month, however, the European Union reduced the amount of blocked funding after Hungary agreed to give financial aid for Ukraine, as well as a global minimum tax after the two sides reached a compromise.

This came after the Hungarian government announced that it was transferring €187 million to Ukraine as part of a European Parliament-approved $18 billion loan.

"The government... calls on the Finance Minister [Mihaly Varga] to take care of securing 187 million euros, which make up Hungary's share of the €18 billion euros loan the European Union will provide to Ukraine," the decree, signed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said.

The EU loan, obtained from financial markets, will be repaid in quarterly installments with the consistency and predictability needed to keep Ukraine afloat amid the conflict.

Read next: EU financial aid to Ukraine depends on delayed funding for Hungary

"We were able to agree with the EU, which was an exceptional performance by us as we had to fight against Hungarophobia in a world dominated by liberalism," Orban told reporters at an annual press conference. 

"It should be pulled out. What the EU is doing today is a few rule-of-law people trying to impose their will on a few countries," Orban said after calling the rule-of-law process "a serious nail in the EU's coffin."

Hungary continues to do what serves the interests of its people, Orban said two weeks ago, as "the bureaucrats in Brussels are adding new conditions, they want to impose their will on us on the issues of migration, sanctions, and gender."

Orban said the reputation of the European Parliament was "already nil" and could not go lower in his country. "The swamp should be drained."

It is worth noting that the conditionality regime is a mechanism used to promote the 'rule of law' and to withhold EU funding from states the Commission deems as "delinquent".

Withholding EU cash from defaulting nations is how it operates. The first nation to have problems with this method was Hungary.

Hungary was the only country in the EU to refuse to support Brussels' initiative to train the Ukrainian army in Europe, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in October, highlighting that his country would not participate in the EU's training of Kiev's soldiers.

The country is the only European Union member state to take such a stance, with its Foreign Minister explaining Budapest's position by underlining that it supported peace efforts rather than escalation.

It has been staunchly opposed to the European Union's policies against Russia since the onset of the Ukraine war, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban refusing to impose sanctions the way the rest of the bloc has, in addition to refusing various other anti-Russian measures.

 

  • Hungary
  • Viktor Orban
  • Brussels
  • Ukraine
  • European Union

Trending Now

All
Hungary sticks to national interests, not Brussels: Orban

Hungary sticks to national interests, not Brussels: Orban

Most Read

Haaretz

Mossad agent killed in Italy part of anti-Iran mission: Israeli media

  • Europe
  • 3 Jun
In this image released by the Italian firefighters, a helicopter searches for missing passengers after a tourist boat capsized in a storm on Italy's Lago Maggiore in the northern Lombardy region, May 28, 2023 (AP)

Top Israeli intelligence official dead in Italy: Israeli media

  • Europe
  • 29 May
US linguist Noam Chomsky, who was among 550 academics who signed the petition calling on Glasgow University to respect free speech (AFP)

Chomsky: EU will deindustrialize if it abides by US-run world order

  • Europe
  • 31 May
Singer Adele performs during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP)

Calls for Adele to cancel her 'Israel' concert

  • Palestine
  • 31 May

Read this

All
A 3D printed miniature oil pump jack is placed in front of a plummeting stock graph with OPEC's logo, April 14 2020. (Reuters)
MENA

Oil production cut proposals stir in-house tensions within OPEC

  • 4 Jun
World intelligence heads hold secret meeting in Singapore: Reuters
Asia Pacific

World intelligence heads hold secret meeting in Singapore: Reuters

  • 4 Jun
Florida hit by seaweed full of flesh-eating bacteria
US & Canada

Seaweed full of flesh-eating bacteria swarm Florida beaches

  • 4 Jun
The Engineered Arts Ameca humanoid robot with artificial intelligence is demonstrated during the consumer electronics show in 2023 in US. (AFP)
US & Canada

Human extinction by AI ‘not that concerning… at least for now': Expert

  • 4 Jun
Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS