Hungary is the Russian Trojan horse in Europe

 

Wolfgang Hansson 

 

The right to withdraw contributions - but then Hungary can take revenge 

 

Published: Less than 3 hours ago 

 

This is a commenting text. Analysis and positions are the writer's. 

 

COLUMNISTS 

 

That the EU acts against Hungary by threatening to withdraw 80 billion in grants is highly reasonable. 

 

It should have happened a long time ago. 

 

But there is one way Viktor Orbán can take revenge that threatens the unity of Europe. 

 

For many years, Hungary has tried to both eat the cake and keep it. 

 

The country's leaders have led Hungary down a path where democracy has been slowly eroded in all areas. There is almost no free media anymore. The courts are in the pocket of the regime. Everything boils down to strengthening the power of Orbán and his Fidesz party. 

 

Point after point, Hungary has violated the fundamental principles on which the EU rests. At the same time, it has been one of the countries that has raised the most contributions from the Union. 

 

The battle between Brussels and Budapest has been going on for a number of years. Alongside the threat to withdraw part of the grants, the EU Parliament's decision last week to declare that Hungary can no longer be counted as a full-fledged democracy was a kind of culmination of the struggle. 

 

If you are part of an association but do not follow the rules, you are usually excluded. But when the EU was formed, no one thought that any member state would want to abolish the democracy that was the very basis for applying for membership from the very beginning. 

 

Therefore, there is no mechanism to exclude a country. The worst sanction is to take away the right to vote from a country. But then it is required that all other member states agree.

 

 

 

Point after point, Hungary has violated the fundamental principles on which the EU rests. Photo: Geert Vanden Wijngaert / AP 

 

 

Nothing is more important for the countries of the Union at the moment than maintaining a united front against Vladimir Putin. Photo: Sergei Bobylev / AP 

 

Offensive 

 

Since Poland joined Hungary in the attempts to establish authoritarian regimes within the EU, that path is also closed. 

 

But the EU now has a rule that states that grants can be frozen if a country cannot show that the money is being used correctly, for example through corruption and undemocratic decisions. The EU has the right to "protect the budget".

 

This new rule has made it easier for the EU to act against Hungary, one of the biggest grant recipients. In practice, it is about a transfer of tax money from the richer countries in the union, for example Sweden, to Hungary. 

 

That Hungary, while receiving these contributions, is acting against the EU's basic rules is of course offensive. 

 

Therefore, the proposed freezing of the contributions must be seen at the same time as part of the process the EU has started against Hungary for their violation of the principles of the rule of law. 

 

Since Orbán has refused to embark on a more democratic path, the European Commission has now taken the unique measure of proposing that the contributions to a country be withheld. 

 

 

Viktor Orbán is already a bit of Russia's Trojan horse in Europe. Photo: Petr David Josek / AP  

 

Orbán's hook 

 

The final decision must be taken by EU heads of government within a few months. Hungary must be given time to show penance and improvement. The European Commission's hope is that the money will make Hungary think better. After all, 80 billion is quite a lot. But considering that Hungary receives an additional 270 billion kroner in EU grants, that is a lot of money that still continues to flow into a country that, if it applied for membership today, would likely be turned away. 

 

Negotiations between Brussels and Hungary have been going on for some time and Hungary has promised to introduce a number of reforms. 

 

But the EU wants to see that they are really implemented in practice. But there are no guarantees that Orbán will allow himself to be pressured in this way. Right now he also has a hold on the EU. 

 

Nothing is more important for the countries of the Union at the moment than maintaining a united front against Vladimir Putin. The EU has introduced the toughest sanctions against Russia that have ever been directed at a country. But the sanctions must be adopted unanimously by all EU countries. 

 

A Trojan horse 

 

Viktor Orbán is already a bit of Russia's Trojan horse in Europe. He is the EU leader who has the most friendly relations with Putin. Hungary continues to buy gas from Russia when everyone else is trying to phase it out. 

 

So far, Hungary has supported the sanctions. But what happens if the EU withholds multi-billion sums? 

 

Orbán can sabotage the united front against Russia by vetoing the sanctions. So the EU's snubbing of Hungary comes at a sensitive time. 

 

It also remains to be seen how many EU countries are ultimately prepared to take the sledgehammer to Orbán's Hungary.