Sunday

3rd Dec 2023

Letter

Right of Reply: Hungarian government

  • The Hungarian parliament in Budapest (Photo: Wikimedia)
Listen to article

Dear Editor,

While authors Emese Pásztor and Sanjay Sethi in EUobserver take a rather biased stance on Hungary's state of danger due to the Covid pandemic and now the war in Ukraine, in their attempt to paint prime minister Viktor Orbán and his government as the black, authoritarian sheep of Europe, they ultimately miss the point of our special legal order.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

No, it is not to "presumptively authorise the government to supersede parliament and issue laws by decree that restrict civil and political rights." Nor is it to promote the "openly anti-democratic aims of Hungary's dominant right-wing political party."

Instead, the special legal order serves to save the lives of Hungarians and ensure their security and protection.

Passed yesterday in parliament, the amendment to Hungary's Fundamental Law—which enables the Hungarian government to enact a state of danger due to armed conflict, war or humanitarian disaster in a neighbouring country—was bound to trigger some frenzy in the liberal bubble.

Remember the spring of 2020, when Hungary introduced the state of danger due to the coronavirus pandemic? It was the same drill two years ago as it is now.

Back then, left-liberal, mainstream media outlets sounded the alarm over an "erosion of [Hungarian] democracy," (The Independent) and claimed that PM Orbán would supposedly "rule by decree, alone and unchallenged" (The Guardian). Some even drew allusions to Hitler (former Finnish ambassador and others) and claimed that Orbán had suspended the Hungarian parliament.

But did the "state of danger" really push Hungary into "authoritarian disarray"? No, it did not. Instead, it enabled the government to take swift action, closing borders, enacting movement restrictions, and equipping our healthcare system with everything it needed to treat all those who required care.

Once Hungary weathered the worst parts of the pandemic and the economic rebuilding took off, the swiftness granted by the special legal order contributed immensely to Hungary rising from the quarantine stronger than we entered it.

With the war in Ukraine, and the "state of danger" adopted yesterday, it's really all the same. Now our critics are hyperventilating about how we are going to use it to "shroud Fidesz's authoritarian actions under the cloak of legality." But in reality, it is meant to provide the tools for the government to safeguard Hungary's national security interests, protect Hungarian families, and avoid getting dragged into the war.

And, by the way, parliament still has to approve the steps taken by the government.

Author bio

Zoltán Kovács is international spokesperson of the Hungarian government and secretary of state for international communication.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.

Are Orban's Covid powers now the 'new normal' in Hungary?

As the world continues to seek productive ways to provide assistance to the beleaguered citizens of Ukraine, the Hungarian government is now using the humanitarian crisis to further its own authoritarian ambitions.

Orbán's overtures to Moscow are distasteful and detrimental

Some Western European politicians are reviving the chimera of a negotiated settlement. None of this makes the current, half-hearted approach towards sanctioning Russia look better — nor does it shed any favourable light on the cravenness of Hungary's current government.

Letter

Right of Reply from the Hungarian government

Authors Samira Rafaela MEP and Tom Theuns present as facts the extreme views of a politically-motivated campaign in the European Parliament. By doing so, they undermine the very foundations of the European Union.

Dubai's COP28 — a view from the ground

Discussion of the biggest existential threat humanity has ever faced is barely mentioned on billboards or signage in Dubai — yet visitors are made aware quite quickly that t world rugby sevens tournament is imminent.

'Pay or okay?' — Facebook & Instagram vs the EU

Since last week, Mark Zuckerberg's Meta corporation is forcing its European users to either accept their intrusive privacy practices — or pay €156 per year to access Facebook and Instagram without tracking advertising.

My experience trying to negotiate with Uber

After working with people in unusual employment situations for a decade, I thought I had seen it all as a union organiser. Then I began dealing with Uber.

Latest News

  1. Israel's EU ambassador: 'No clean way to do this operation'
  2. Brussels denies having no 'concern' on Spain's amnesty law
  3. Dubai's COP28 — a view from the ground
  4. Germany moves to criminalise NGO search-and-rescue missions
  5. Israel recalls ambassador to Spain in new diplomatic spat
  6. Migrant return bill 'obstructed' as EU states mull new position
  7. Paris and Berlin key to including rape in gender-violence directive
  8. What are the big money debates at COP28 UN climate summit?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us