Hungary: in Budapest, Brussels or Strasbourg, the debate is in full speed

Few months ago, Hungary chaired the European Union (EU). On Wednesday, 18th, it was behind the Danish representative that Viktor Orban answered the critics addressed to his government in front of the European Parliament.

Many observers, such as Hungarian MPs and Hungarian and European citizens are concerned by the new constitution which came into force on the 1st of January 2012. While speaking in the plenary session in Strasbourg, the president of ALDE, Guy Verhofstadt, presented a document of fifteen pages pointing every issue of concern, not only those regarding the European law, but more importantly those dealing with the EU fundamental values.

AN INFRIGEMENT PROCEDURE

Among these issues, the European Commission has selected three: by sending three letters of formal notice, the EC has in fact started an infringement procedure against Hungary, the first step before possible referral to the European Court of Justice for having breached EU law. Viktor Orban has now to take the necessary steps to address the concerns over the independence of the Hungarian Central Bank, the judiciary and the data protection authorities.

To prove its determination on the dossier, the European Commission decided to shorten the time limit to receive an answer very fast: in theory the Member state has two months to react but in that specific case, Hungary has to answer within a month, maybe even 15 days!

The Commission is therefore awake. Whereas, until now its focus has been mostly on the economic measures necessary in Hungary, President Barroso told Viktor Orban and the European Parliament that these issues could go beyond the law: he called on the Hungarian government to respect its democratic obligations. According to some observers, this shift arises quite late; for others it does not go far enough. This being said, what is important to notice is that such a political debate on an EU Member State had not taken place in the EU for a long time.
Hungary is at the heart of the debate in the EU, but it is also the case back home: few days ago, demonstrations involving thousands of people took place in Budapest: on Saturday, 21st, to support the government and on Sunday, 22nd to defend the Klub radio, threatened with closure.

In a previous article, we discussed the difference between the greater desire for democracy in the countries of the South side of the Mediterranean and the weakening democracy in the North side countries: the Hungarian case proves that we need to be vigilant. If one wants to mention a positive aspect on this issue, it would be the creation of a debate, not only on the rule of law but also on the founding values of the EU. Such a debate could prove to be beneficial in the period of identity crisis we are facing. It remains now to be seen whether the debate on Hungary can be the "trigger of the advent of a new European citizenship‘s feeling" [1]?


[1] A quote from P. Gradvohl (Le Monde, January 13th, 2012)