Crime in slow motion

As the EU is passively looking on

The disagreeable minister of regional development in Hungary is trusted to negotiate with the European Union for the release of the billions withheld from Hungary for over a year now. The reason for the stern suspension of funds was the belated, but nevertheless, determined position of the European Union that Hungary ceased to be a lawful democracy and until this condition is corrected, payments shall be withheld. Minister Navracsics, formerly a professor of law and also one of the leaders of Fidesz party, was also appointed by prime minister Viktor Orban in 2014 as EU commissionaire. He was surrounded with suspicion and distrust in his position as commissionaire of a minor portfolio there. He failed to convince his collegues about his readiness to represent union interests as opposed to national Hungarian ones as demanded from him his ”master,” Mr. Orban. But now he is back on his old turf, as someone with connections to the Union bureaucracy, commissioned by Viktor Orban to be the sly fox that will eventually lure, cajole, or wrest the billions of Euros from the holding of the Union escrow. And Mr. Navracsics is busy, negotiating almost weekly in Brussels, trying to convince his interlocutors about the corrective measures the Hungarian government have done to comply with the twenty seven ”mile stones” the European Commission set for them as the conditions of releasing the funds. And while he is repeatedly assuring the Hungarian public about the imminence of the arrival of the funds, the truth is that the government is rather trying to sneak around the required changes than instituting any substantial improvements as demanded from them. All the changes are superficial, without really restoring in their effect the rule of law, or reduce the staggeringly rampant corruption in Hungary. And for a while it looked like the European Commission, (or for that matter the European Court of Justice), shall not be fooled and the stalemate remains.

Nevertheless, the Union decided to release a €920 million advance payment (approximately $1 billion) on account, which is a sort of maximum, 20% available to any country unconditionally. But just as it was agreed with great triumphal noises from Mr. Navracsics, the government came forward with the proposition of a new legislation for the ”Protection of National Sovereignty.” This idea and this legislation is a substantially new, unprecedented aggressive step to increase government’s power and implicitely the power of Prime Minister Orban.

The powers of the government were already increased vastly greater than a normal rule-of-law state would have. At the time of the refugee crisis of 2015. they instituted a ”Special Legal Order,” that was by itself a licence to the government to rule by fiat, getting approvals from Parliament only after the fact. With repeated renewals this was meant to last until January 1. 2023 and it is still in effect. Then again a different emergency power was legislated in 2020 on account of the Covid epidemic and subsequently in 2022 a third, even more aggressive one than anything before, due to, they said, to the war in Ukraine. All these emergency powers were supposed to be in effect for a few months only, but the government kept increasing their duration time and again and got the Parliament to rubber-stamp not only the extentions, but also the rules introduced using the extra-ordinairy powers. As it is therefore, presently we, lucky Hungarians, have three concurrent state of emergency laws governing us and the Prime Minister, Mister Orban, has no checks, no balances and no scruples to limit his power. And it shows!

Just as the European Union showed some inclination to believe Mr. Navracsics about the chastened Hungary, the proposal of Defence of National Sovereignty hit like lightening from the blue. Because who is the adversary against whom the Orban regime deems to defend so vigorously? Nobody is attacking Hungary, nobody is questioning the sovereignty of the country, i.e. the government, i.e. Mr. Orban, only the United States of America, the European Union and Nato. Our nearest and dearest allies. Those on whom we dearly depend to guarantee our economic, political and military survival of Hungary.

”I’ll do everything!”
(Coronation of the autocrat of protection, June 16, 1896 / Dalrymple.)

The proposed Defence of National Sovereignty law is more restrictive than its Russian predecessor, leaving less room to move, act, or organize by civil associations. Promises to punish severely the accepting of any foreign contributions, financial, or otherwise to political parties or NGOs. And it threatens with stiff jail terms those found in breach. I am sure, there is no need for me to emphasize the implications of such a law. In short it will be the death knell of any remaining civil liberties in the country. But the irony of it all is that the European Union is releasing exactly now, the €920 million, without taking notice of this Fascistic legislation. Such nonchalance seems to be akin to complicity and poses the question: what will the regime of Viktor Orban have to do to get itself noticed by the Union, for what it is?

Sandor Kerekes