EU Sues Hungary Over 'National Sovereignty' Law

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Facts

  • After opening an inquiry into Hungary's 'protecting national sovereignty' law in February, the European Commission (EC) announced on Thursday that 'most of the grievances identified have still not been addressed.'[1]
  • The law, passed by the right-wing Fidesz party-controlled Parliament, banned foreign donations to Hungarian election campaigns and established an office to inspect foreign-funded organizations, including with the help of national intelligence agencies.[2][3][4]
  • The EC is suing Hungary in the Court of Justice, arguing the law is 'in breach' of the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, which include the right to private family life, freedom of expression and association, and legal confidentiality.[2][5]
  • While Western governments have accused the law of being similar to Russia's 'foreign agents' law, Hungary claims it was passed in response to the US and EU funding domestic organizations in its country.[3]
  • The law established a Sovereignty Protection Office to conduct investigations with the support of Hungary's secret service agencies. The results of investigations are then to be published by the office.[6]

Sources: [1]Reuters, [2]France 24, [3]RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, [4]Verity, [5]Magyarnemzet and [6]Euronews.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by European Commission and Journal of Democracy. As a part of the EU, Hungary is supposed to promote European values, but this law goes against the fundamental human rights of political and journalistic freedom. This law not only allows for intrusive investigations into political groups, opposition parties, and universities but also publicly identifies those under scrutiny, stigmatizing them nationally. Budapest cannot be allowed to threaten its citizens just because they oppose the ruling party.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Hungarian Conservative and Europeanconservative. The EU no longer truly believes in European values, which is why it treats the current Hungarian government unfairly. This law was first created in response to the US covertly funding nongovernmental organizations with alleged links to the US Democratic Party, which is a blatant violation of national sovereignty. As the elites in Washington and Brussels push for more war across the globe and radical social ideologies at home, Budapest is simply trying to retain its beloved culture and values.

Predictions