Published: 26.2.2023
The deadline is fast approaching for the Hungarian government to meet its so-called super-milestones, the partial dismantling of the corrupt system of national cooperation.
Viktor Orbán had recently confidently predicted that both parties would go to the wall, turn around, shake hands and come to an agreement. In fact, Orbán’s nose has already been repeatedly knocked into the wall, and the European Commission seems to want to shake hands with the Fidesz prime minister only if his smooth rhetoric is finally followed by real action. Orbán’s credibility has worn thin, they no longer believe his word-twisting and false, courtly bows with his hands in his pockets – they want laws passed, amendments to legislation and changes that are proven in practice in order to protect the public money of European citizens.
The government’s unusual confusion is shown by the fact that they keep giving new dates for when the whole process can be completed and EU funds can finally start flowing, but sometimes they expect the money to be opened by the end of last year, sometimes by the end of January, and now at the earliest by the beginning of summer.
Moreover, there is increasing talk in Fidesz corridors that we may not see a single euro of blocked funds this year. Because there will be no agreement. No thanks to the European Commission, by the way. We have already seen in the case of the amendments that were requested earlier (such as the university foundations that were falsely claimed to be in the public interest) that Fidesz is still trying to water down its commitments to the EU wherever possible, in the hope that they will go unnoticed. Maybe just maybe this will slip through, as so many things have before.
The good news for Hungarians and the bad news for the beneficiaries of the NER is that the EU is on its guard this time and will minimise ‘smart’ tweaks. From a distance, this game of tug-of-war may even be entertaining, but the problem is that it is all hurting the Hungarian people; and the billions of EU money are needed like a deep breath of fresh air for the Hungarian economy, which is drowning in Orbán inflation and suffers from the Hungarian forint on the roller coaster. But Orbán and his mates are pushing the process towards escalation not towards agreement.
While Tibor Navracsics is holding a hose with both hands and putting out the fires started by Fidesz, the Prime Minister and his executive staff, such as Justice Minister Judit Varga, are not only fanning the flames, but also adding a little kindling to them. The fact that Varga is fleeing from the European Commission investigating the Pegasus scandal is just one petty episode, but all expert opinion points out that the judicial reform needed to access EU funds will bring serious battles between the government and the EU, and Judit Varga will not be able to meet both the demands of her boss and European constraints.
It is almost certain that Fidesz will not make the changes required to strengthen the independence of the judiciary, or not in the way that EU expectations and the agreement in principle require. Suffice it to point out that the legislation is currently undergoing ‘public consultation’ and that every decent civil society organisation and competent expert is objecting to the amendments; in contrast, it is certain that these critical comments will not be taken into account in any way by Judit Varga and her colleagues. And if they try to solve the matter in a ‘smart’ way again, the money will not come, it will be replaced by smacks on the head and slaps.
It is clear and obvious that instead of reaching an agreement and a real breakdown of the system, Orbán and his party will resort to the old method and push the situation: they are already preparing the communication machine gun for the very likely case when the money will remain frozen for a long time. The direction and the theme are pretty clear after the announcement by the leader of the parliamentary group, Máté Kocsis: they will tighten up the legislation they call ‘child protection law’ because paedophiles are rampant in the country and they need to act immediately. It was also an important announcement at Saturday’s Government Info that Viktor Orbán has already consulted with Interior Minister Sándor Pintér on the matter and is waiting for proposals on how to better protect our children.
As a father of six children, I do not need to be explained the justification for the steps that need to be taken to protect our children. Anyone who doubts this and automatically confuses any criticism of the government’s actions with support for paedophilia and neglect to protect our children, I’d simply call a moron. That’s it.
But this is coming up next. While we do not know yet what will be in the text of the amendment, we do know from the government’s shuffle so far exactly what will follow. Presumably, an amendment will be pushed through that will have little to do with the original intention – which any sensible person would support – but it will be all the more objectionable in its wording and effects – and there you have it. Anyone who objects to it – no matter why and in what form – will, according to government communications, be trying to corrupt our children, have them forcibly change gender by being operated on, and, I am sure, that pro-government tabloid portal Origo will even expose that they are running a secret paedophile network in their basement. Then they will set the record straight one day, of course, but by then what will be the point?
The motive is there, now you can wind yourself up. „Brussels is still withholding funds for Hungarians because it protects paedophiles and the child-corrupting Brussels lifestyle” – we can just already see the headlines on Fidesz bulletin boards. All this would even be an amusing element in the Eastern European film version of ‘House of Cards’, but having lived through the Soros-bashing, sex change-inducing, anti-Brussels lunacy of the last thirteen years, let us have no doubt that those in government and their followers will be ready to plunge into this fetid abyss if they have to. They will have to find some way of explaining why the money we are owed is still not coming in.
Let us be clear and unequivocal: whatever Fidesz and its reality-bending human-droid task force do and say in the coming period, the freezing of EU funds is still solely due to the government’s corrupt system of dismantling the rule of law. If Orbán and his pals had not stuffed billions of EU public money into the Louis Vuitton labelled pockets of their own plastic aristocracy and if they had not dismantled every major stronghold of the European rule of law, we would not be here. It is not George Soros delaying the money.
It is not because of the European left and the secret conspiracy of the global network of Freemasons that the money is not coming. Nobody wants to have Hungarian kindergartners operated on. It is not because of UFOs, migrants or the Brusselsites sliding down the gutters that the money is late. If Orbán and his regime stop stealing and restore at least a minimum of the rule of law, the money will come. It is Fidesz’s responsibility and theirs alone if it does not. Any other claim to the contrary is a blatant lie.
dr. István Ujhelyi
Member of the European Parliament
Founder of the Community of Chance
26/02/2023