A Hungarian wind of change?

Among the members of the Eastern Bloc, Hungary was always the terrible child, the object of the envy of many of the comrades from the other side of the Iron Curtain. The events from 1956, the slow but firm opening of the economy to the market, the contribution to the fall of communism, by removal of the 150 miles border fence with Austria, in May 1989, and allowing East German tourists on holiday to escape to the West…There are only a couple of the main facts contributing to the European profile of Hungary. To this, it may be added the strong national identity and the persistence in supporting the country’s interests all over the world, through a well-organized and efficient lobby. After the end of the Cold War, Hungary succeeded in becoming a prosperous NATO (1999) and EU (2004) member.

From January 1^st 2011, Hungary will take over the rotating presidency of the EU facing a difficult regional agenda, with the debt crisis on the very top of the priorities. But, in the same time, the conservative government run by Viktor Orbán is the subject of home and external criticism for various political initiatives: from the recent nationalizations to the intrusion of the state in the affairs of the media.

According to the law voted this week by the FIDESZ dominated parliament and waiting the signature of the president – who is having strong ties with the ruling party - , the new National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH), dominated by people loyal to the ruling FIDESZ party, will oversee all public news production and its powers will include levying big fines - up to 730,000 euros ($950,000) - or shut down news outlets which flout rules. The media is under threat in other former communist countries, but also in Italy, where the prime-minister Silvio Berlusconi is controlling the press directly or through its trustworthy representatives.

Despite international criticism from Luxembourg and Germany, and the mobilization of the Hungarian journalists (mostly on social media as Facebook or Twitter, but also through the local Hungarian 2.0 networks), the FIDESZ’s leaders announced that they will not give up. But, taking into account Italy’s precedent, many EU diplomats are already skeptic that those provisions will affect Hungary’s relations within the Union and, by thus, the freedom of movement as president of the 27-member bloc. Despite the protests of the OSCE  and of the European Parliament, the local authorities are denying any attempts to crack down on media. "It's very regrettable that the latest international opinions don't include any facts, only fears and threats," Peter Szijjarto, the Prime Minister's spokesman said in a release Thursday.

Hungary escaped financial meltdown in 2008 thanks to a bailout of the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The government's unconventional fiscal measures -- which include taxes levied on banks and mostly foreign firms and an effective nationalization of private pension fund assets -- have prompted ratings downgrades and elevated Hungary's risk premia as investors worry that the deficit could swell after 2012. Another controversial measure took by Orban's FIDESZ was the intrusion in the justice and the politicisation of the institution, after people loyal to the party were placed at the top of public institutions in a consolidation of power that is expected to continue. A phenomenon very familiar in many Eastern European countries.

Among the main tasks that Hungary will have to manage are: the talks on the 2014-2020 EU’s budget, the integration of Roma minority and the discussions whether Romania and Bulgaria are ready enough for joining the Schengen free-travel zone.

On the other hand, the powers of the six-month presidency were limited after the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty which created the positions of EU high representative and of EU permanent president, who will oversee the whole activity. Hungarian officials will preside over monthly meetings of ministers of agriculture, energy, environment, employment and, most crucially, of finances.

Viktor Orbán and many of its top party members used to be on the forefront of changes in Hungary, educated in the West, protesting against communism and supporting an economic liberal agenda. Little by little they turned the page to a conservative side and alienated most part of the media and the public intellectuals. The failure of the previous socialist party, rotten by corruption promoted their comeback in force, this April together with the resurgence of far-right parties. The further internal evolutions and the international behaviors will be decisive in the months to come for outlining the Hungarian profile in the 21st century, with a regional impact hard to estimate for the moment. And there are already too many question marks about this future.

Related articles

• Hungary's tough new laws worry other EU countries (ctv.ca)
• Hungary's new media law puts EU presidency in doubt (telegraph.co.uk)
• Europe needs to send Hungary a signal | Jan-Werner Mueller (guardian.co.uk)
• Hungarian politics: Hungry for power (economist.com)
• Germany welcomes EU probe on Hungarian media law (sfgate.com)

Mixed results of the European elections

BBC Live

The steading declining turnout allowed the organized, party members vote, and encouraged the populist and extreme-right representatives - The Telegraph, Voice of America, AP.

The far-right made gains all across Europe - from Germany to Hungary and Romania as, in the context of the economic crisis, many ruling parties, mainly from the left side, are expected to suffer serious defeats.


What is the European Parliament and how it is elected - Reuters

The European elections - The Europeans are making choices

When, what, and why?
Information for the media and for the voters

The nationalist movements are getting more votes and support, the expected success of the anti-immigration Dutch party being an example in this respect:

WSJ

Times on-line

Le Figaro

Anxious moments, waiting for the results in the Czech Republic and Ireland.

Media reports about candidates and general apathy.

Also, for the first time ODIHR is deploying a monitoring mission to 15 of the 27 EU countries.

In terms of e-politics, Europe is still at the beginning of a long way to catch up with the US.

How the European MPs worked?

You'll find out here

EU's Klaus Slams Move to Centralize Oversight

Marc Champion, Brussels,

Nathalie Boschat and Gabriele Parussini, Paris

The Wall Street Journal

February 20

President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic, which holds the European Union's rotating presidency, assailed the organization Thursday as undemocratic and said it should halt any further centralization of powers.

The global financial crisis and this week's acute turmoil in Eastern Europe have prompted calls across Europe and around the world for charting the opposite course, with many leaders -- and economists -- prescribing more centralized authority to help nations weather the crisis. However, the notion of establishing central oversight bodies also has run into resistance.

European Pressphoto Agency

Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, before his address on Thursday to a formal session of the European Parliament in Brussels.

In the financial sector, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said Thursday that while tighter supervision of European cross-border banks is advisable, it should come not from the European Central Bank but through coordination among national supervisors.

ECB governors have repeatedly said that the zone's central bank would be prepared to take on greater responsibility in cross-border supervision.

In an interview Thursday, Ms. Lagarde said, "One of the options [to increase oversight on European banks] would be to entrust ... the ECB with this task. The problem is that the ECB doesn't have the authority on the whole of the EU."

"In particular," Ms. Lagarde added, "there would be a large chunk of the EU, namely the U.K., a large financial center, which would fall outside the remit of this institution."

ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet and Vice President Lucas Papademos said earlier in the year that the bank is mulling increasing its supervisory role to police the continent's largest banks.

Instead, the French finance minister said coordination between national regulators involved in the oversight of cross-border banking groups should be increased, with the supervisor from the bank's home country taking a leading role. At the same time, the lead supervisor should take into account the interests of the host country's watchdog, she said.

Mr. Klaus, a proponent of free-market economics, has long been hostile to the EU as an institution and has declined to fly the European flag over his office during the Czech Republic's six-month term as president of the 27-nation bloc. He denied that he is against the EU nations, but said fewer decisions should be made in Brussels.

In an address before the European parliament in Brussels, Mr. Klaus said he wasn't yet ready to say whether he would sign the so-called Lisbon Treaty. The pact would give the EU its first permanent president, boost the parliament's role, and make it easier to set common rules.

Mr. Klaus's speech came just a day after the lower house of the Czech parliament voted to ratify the agreement.

Proponents of the treaty say it would help redress a widely recognized lack of democratic accountability in the EU.

"The proposals to change the current state of affairs -- included in the rejected European Constitution or in the not-very-different Lisbon Treaty -- would make this defect even worse," Mr. Klaus said.

The Lisbon Treaty was vetoed last year by voters in Ireland -- the only nation to hold a referendum on the document. The pact still needs to be approved by the Czech Senate and signed by Mr. Klaus to be ratified.

The remaining 25 EU nations have approved the pact, which requires ratification by all members of the bloc. Ireland plans a repeat referendum by the end of October. In a poll released Sunday by the Irish Times, 51% of respondents said they would vote for a new version of the treaty, with 33% against. The balance were undecided.

See also:

The Full Speech of Vaclav Klaus

Vaclav Klaus - Profile

Modern piracy-Maritime terrorism

Piracy is not only a subject of successful movies or children stories, but a daily matter of concern, despite the sporadic presence in the headlines of the international media.
According to Live Piracy Map, the pirates are operating in a quite extended area. Through the Piracy Reporting Center, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the International Maritime Bureau is providing 24 hour emergency assistance on piracy cases.

UN Security Council adopted June 2008 a resolution allowing for six months "all necessary means" to repress piracy. The 23 of October 2008, the European Parliament in Strasbourg adopted a resolution on piracy on maritime piracy.

The perpetrators of such acts, whose effects on economy and maritime security are considerably threatening, but curiously not too much considered as such, are taking fully advantage of the failed states in Africa or of the high level of corruption in South-Asia. They would operate freely as long as the states alongside the shores would not be able to create common mechanism of control and surveillance. But, first, you need to build up those states.