On Tuesday 4 April, the European Commission was called upon once again to take a position on recent developments in Hungary, with the government of Viktor Orban having launched a consultation of the Hungarian citizens on EU immigration policies, entitled “Stop Brussels”, on 1 April. However, it has not yet taken a clear line or directly incriminated Orban, who seems to make the Commission uneasy.
However, the initiatives of the Fidesz party leader's government directly call European principles into question. As well as this consultation on immigration, there are also threats to the Central European University (CEU), which may end up having to leave the country. A law on NGOs financed by foreign funds is also of concern to defenders of civil liberties, particularly the ALDE group at the European Parliament, which has expressed outrage at these latest attacks from the Hungarian government on fundamental rights.
When questioned, European Commission spokesperson Alexander Winterstein explained that at this stage, the Commission does not intend to have a proper discussion on the rule of law, but that the College will revert in the near future to the situation in Hungary after the visit of Dimitris Avramopoulos on 28 March.
The European Commissioner for Migration had visited Hungary to discuss the new law which allows all asylum seekers to be held in the border areas with Serbia and Croatia whilst their applications are examined.
The spokesperson also referred to the position of Jean-Claude Juncker, who told last week's EPP Summit in Malta that there can be no dichotomy between the EU and the capitals. The spokesperson reiterated that Orban signed the Rome Declaration and quoted the Commission President as saying that “being patriotic” can be positive, “unless it is targeted against others”.
“It is time for the convinced Europeans to stand up for Europe and stop using Brussels at national level”, Juncker had said, in apparent criticism of Orban, a member of his own political family. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)