The European Commission has become more lenient in its criticism of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and may even provide his government with new money before the election. Brussels does not want to be accused of interfering in the election or for Orban to use it in his anti-European campaign.
This is reported by the Financial Times, citing sources.
Polls suggest Orban could lose the April 12 vote, with the opposition “Tisza” party, led by Péter Magyar, leading Orban’s “Fidesz” party by about 10 percentage points. “Tisza” has also called on EU institutions to refrain from taking active action during the campaign, according to sources.
The Commission is already more cautious in its public statements on Hungary and concerns about the rule of law, according to the sources. Around €2.4 billion in new funds could go to Orbán’s government before the elections, despite recent warnings.
“A few months before such a historic, decisive election… they concluded that it was best to do nothing. The Commission is playing it safe, which is normal. It is wise for the Commission not to make any loud statements about the Hungarians, so as not to risk being perceived as interference in the elections,” the Hungarian official said.
Orban has long been a problematic partner for the EU: he has become close to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and opposes military aid to Ukraine and its accession to the EU.
The Hungarian leader and his party have repeatedly claimed that the EU is interfering in domestic politics. During the campaign, they portrayed Magyar as an “EU puppet” who “cannot say no” to Brussels.
The Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) think tank, linked to Orbán, earlier this month launched the “Observatory on Democracy Intervention”, designed to “analyze how the European Union and EU-linked actors influence national elections across Europe”.
Orbán has drawn support from the US President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement in his attacks on the EU. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Hungary on February 16 to show support for Orbán’s government. Next month, Hungary will host the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a gathering of American conservatives, where Trump is expected to speak.
The Commissionʼs position on Hungary has been further complicated by a ruling by the EUʼs highest court, which last week issued a legal opinion calling into question the 2023 decision to unfreeze €10 billion for Budapest to overcome Orbanʼs veto on aid to Ukraine.
- Hungary is in a tense political battle two months before parliamentary elections. On February 12, “Tisza” leader Peter Magyar reported a provocation against him: a hidden intimate video appeared online, which the politician linked to people close to the “Fidesz” party. According to Magyar, this is an attempt at blackmail to influence the elections.
- The government is currently led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is known for his pro-Russian views and blocking Ukraineʼs membership in the European Union. On January 23, Orban declared that Hungary "will not let" Ukraine into the EU for another 100 years.
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