Hungary's Punishment Leads the EU to Destruction

In a surprise decision last Wednesday, the European Parliament decided to promote a procedure to punish one of its member states -- Hungary. The battle for Europe's future is open. When only nine months until the European Parliament's elections remain, some divisions are emerging in the continent's political landscape.

One thing is clear: the immigration issue will be at the forefront of future debates. This topic will separate the progressers, who want further centralisation of the European Union, from populists who oppose delegation of more competencies to Brussels.

Last year, French President Emmanuel Makron identified 2 countries as obstacles to further European integration: Poland and Hungary. Since then, both have only become more vocal in their opposition to Brussels' bureaucracy. It must be said that the conservative majority in those Central European countries have opposed the EU on the level of culture, heritage and tradition, much more than the euro, major government spending programmes, and harmonisation of the fiscal system.

In fact, Hungary and Poland feed extended social welfare states, with little concern about the sustainability of their expenditures, so their common base with American conservatives exists mainly on social values.

Makron's aggressive rhetoric to Poland and Hungary worsened their relations with Europe's leading elite even before he took office. And his is of every kind of measurement, the EU's strongest voice. Makron has suggested plans for reforming the union, which will increase Brussels' budget and skills, and deepen the gap between those who believe in centralisation, against those who protect national rights.

On the other hand, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban believes the EU has conspired against European values and culture. He has specifically criticised liberal immigration policies by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros, widely known for funding leftist NGOs, both in Europe and the United States.

To that end, the government itself has launched a public campaign with the motto:” Don't let George Soros play last”. (Although it is true that Soros, has intervened for Hungary to accept more immigrants, these are using this country as transit to go to Germany).

The European Union has been critical of Orban, because among other reasons, due to its attempt to eradicate what he calls a “foreign intervention”, Budapest has hit civil liberties. NGOs who receive money from abroad face major challenges, including the government bill called “Stop Soros”, which imposes a 25 per cent tax on foreign donations to NGOs supporting immigration.

NGOs named as a <x0 threat to national security” can be completely out of the law. The idea that the right of free speech is recognised in a country does not find “enemies” currently in Budapest. Before parliamentary elections in Hungary on April 8th, Orban sharpened his populist tone to ensure another absolute majority in parliament.

Regarding his ideological opponents financed by Soros, he said: We are fighting an enemy that is different from us. Doesn't he appear openly, but he remains hidden; not directly, but cunning; not honest, but deceitful; not national but international; he doesn't believe in work, but speculates about money; he doesn't have his own country, but thinks he has the whole world.

This kind of rhetoric, there is no room in the field of liberal democracies. And that probably doesn't bother Orban, who in 2014 said he wanted to create a nonliberal state. Hungary certainly has its problems. But the procedure initiated by the European Parliament is unlikely to improve the situation there.

Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty (which has dictated the functioning of the EU since 2009) allows the European Parliament to initiate a procedure against a member state, which does not meet the criteria it originally agreed on when it became part of the union. After the procedure starts, the European Commission investigates the situation.

The European Council (which represents EU member states) then votes on whether to lift the country in question of voting within the council. The proposal can be approved, only if other countries vote in favour with a majority of 4/5) Hungary cannot vote for itself.

The fact that Article 7 has been evacuated shows the EU's distrust of Hungary, which will only distance Budapest further from Brussels. If the European Union really wanted to eliminate Hungary's fears from foreign interventions, indicating that migration outside the EU would remain the competence of member states, it could do so simply by reaffirming that principle.

But Brussels does not do that, because it is currently under pressure from Italy, which wants to disperse immigrants throughout Europe. This would make the Hungarians feel justified who believe in striking freedom of assembly and free speech to prevent foreign intervention. What does that mean?

The European Union is at the point of division. Emmanuel Makron, calling for his ambitious future reforms. Angela Merkel is in the midst of an internal political stalemate on immigration, which will make her resist these reforms. The Italian government is seeking profound changes on migration, and threatens to cut off EU funding.

And Central European countries are increasingly sceptical of centralising power in Brussels. All this is happening alongside Brex, scheduled in March of next year, and negotiations on the accession of Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Serbia, which are not yet ready to join the union, according to its EU observers.

Instead of dealing with these issues in a rational way, and given that the EU can simply have a lot of power, and should reduce its competencies in various areas, reaffirming national rights, Brussels is now seeking to exclude its members from major decisions.

The debate is still low, as anyone who dares to comply with this decision is called racist and nationalist, including those who have legitimate concerns about bringing the Hungarian government and the European Union. The EU has declared war on Hungary for all rights, and all the wrong reasons. It can win this war only if it allows member states to debate openly.

Source: “American Conservation”

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