Orbán tells MEPs to shut up
Hungary’s prime minister defends media law and tells MEPs to stay out of domestic politics.
Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, lashed out at critics of his country’s media law on Wednesday (19 January), warning his political opponents in the European Parliament not to meddle in Hungary’s domestic affairs.
In a blunt address to MEPs in Strasbourg, Orbán warned that he was “ready to fight” to defend his government’s domestic policies.
He called criticism by MEPs levied against his government’s media law “an offence against the Hungarian people,” setting off a heated debate in the chamber.
“You might have your own opinions about Hungarian domestic politics, but don’t mix up criticisms of Hungarian domestic politics and actions with the six months of the Hungarian presidency that lie ahead,” Orbán said. He warned that the preoccupation of many MEPs with his country’s media law “won’t just be detrimental or damaging to Hungary alone but detrimental and damaging to the EU as a whole”.
Presidency programme
Orbán was supposed to be presenting to the Parliament his country’s presidency programme, but that task was overshadowed by demands from the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), the Liberals and Greens that the Hungarian prime minister drop the law.
“You have to do everything you can to show that you are willing at all times to defend the democratic values that underpin Europe,” said Martin Schulz, the leader of the S&D group.
‘European Chávez’
Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), urged Orbán to “change the law as fast as possible”, while Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the co-leader of the Greens, warned Orbán that he was “on the path to becoming a European [Hugo] Chávez, a national populist”.
But Orbán’s centre-right allies in the European People’s Party (EPP) rallied to defend the Hungarian leader.
Joseph Daul, the leader of the EPP group called Orbán “a great European”.
Orbán urged MEPs to work together with his country’s “parliamentary-friendly presidency” to address pressing economic issues on the EU’s agenda rather than focusing on the media law. “I am convinced European citizens are expecting jobs and growth from us,” he said.
Commission investigation
Orbán said that his centre-right government had a “spirit of reasonableness”, adding that if an investigation into the law by the European Commission found problems or conflicts with the EU’s rules, it would be changed.
“If any objections can be established and verified, we will be only too happy to amend the law,” said Orbán. “This is not a question of prestige, this is not a question of vanity, it’s not a question of arm-wrestling.”
Orbán has been under pressure since the law came into effect on 1 January, the same day that Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the EU’s Council of Ministers, to change it. Concerns have been raised by the Commission, Germany, France and Luxembourg that the law might violate EU standards on press freedom.
José Manuel Barroso, the Commission president, urged MEPs to show patience and allow the Commission to conclude its investigation into the law.
Barroso told the Parliament on Tuesday (18 January), that the Commission would send a new letter to the Hungarian government this week demanding further clarifications and “to express our objections again” over the law.
Parliament officials said that in talks between Barroso and several group leaders, he said the Commission would be demanding certain changes to the law. However it remains unclear what those changes are.
Neelie Kroes, the European commissioner for the information society, told the Parliament’s civil liberties committee on Monday (17 January) that EU officials are investigating parts of the media law forcing media organisations to register with the authorities and requirements on balanced reporting. Kroes has also raised concerns about the rights of foreign-owned media that operate in Hungary.