Orban's Hungary: twelve years of challenges to the EU

• Elections in Hungary Peter Marki-Zay, a pro-European to demolish the legacy of Viktor Orban

• War in Ukraine Eastern Europe rearms and closes ranks against Putin

The authoritarian drift of Viktor Orban was considered one of the greatest challenges for the future of the European Union.

But with the invasion of Ukraine,

has put the challenges of Brussels in perspective.

Given the energy uncertainty, the military and nuclear threat or the arrival of millions of refugees in community territory, some of the most notorious disputes of Orban's Hungary with the European institutions -which even led some members to request their departure from the club- have been put on 'stand by'.

At least for the moment.

MIGRATORY CRUSADE

The migration issue is the spearhead of the "cultural war" declared by Orban in the EU.

Both Budapest and Warsaw have been the great critics of Brussels' migration policy, which they consider deficient, after the 2015 migration crisis triggered by the war in Syria.

to prevent the entry of refugees.

Since the arrival of the ultra-conservative Fidesz to power in 2010, with Orban always at the helm, the government has remained faithful to its anti-immigration policy and

.

Judicial pressure has not made them back down either.

In December of last year, Budapest announced that it would not change its policy regarding migrants, despite the ruling of the European Court of Justice against the refoulement of those who try to enter the country without authorization, which prevents them from applying for asylum and detains them in transit zones between Hungary and Serbia.

"The government has evaluated its options and

. That is, we will maintain order as we have done so far. Although the European court has asked us to change, we will not change it." and we are not going to let anyone do it," challenged Orban.

Hungary came to demand in 2021 from Brussels the financing of its border fences in the face of the "migratory attack" that the EU suffered from Belarus - pushing immigrants to the border of the Union.

Then, the European institutions even considered the construction of border fences on their territory as an option.

During that "hybrid offensive" in Minsk, NATO and the EU already warned that the crisis was sponsored by the Kremlin and was a "distraction" maneuver while Russia accumulated troops at the gates of Ukraine.

The war unleashed by Russia in the neighboring country has put on pause some of its unmarking of the 27 and has aggravated others.

In terms of foreign policy, Budapest - a European ally of Moscow and Beijing - has aligned itself with the sanctions against the Kremlin and has put aside its anti-immigration policy, with the reception of more than 250,000 Ukrainians.

His ambiguous stance on Putin, however, has cost him favor with his allies in the Visegrad Group.

"Poland doesn't even talk to us anymore," warned his electoral rival, Peter Marki-Zay.

Hungary was the great defender of Warsaw in its last fight with European justice, which imposed a fine of one million euros a day for violating judicial independence.

THE ART OF CENSORSHIP

The interventionism of the State in the country's cultural offer has been another target of criticism of the Hungarian 'premier', inside and outside the country.

"Hungary's future depends not only on its economy, military capability and political influence, but also on its cultural achievements," Orban said during a speech in October 2018. Those "achievements" did not include shows like

, canceled by the Budapest Opera after weeks of attacks in conservative media for

, or exhibitions such as that of

, also suspended for -according to the same media close to the Government-

with public money.

NGOs, IN ORBAN'S TARGET

Also controversial was the 2017 law that forced Non-Governmental Organizations that received a certain amount of money from abroad to identify themselves to the authorities, while ordering them to reveal the names of their donors.

The purpose of the rule, according to the Government, was to protect national security from foreign influence.

He assured that the financing of these organizations was

.

The opposition and the NGOs themselves denounced the reform, in which they saw an attempt by Orban to restrict potentially critical activities.

"It is an attack on civil society aimed at silencing critical voices and bears disturbing similarities to Russia's draconian foreign agents law,"

, Amnesty International's Europe director at the time.

In 2021, following criticism from Brussels and confirmation by Chancellery Minister

that the regulations were not compatible with European guidelines,

.

LGTBI LAW

The rule that restricts the access of children and young people to any information on homosexuality and transgender issues was the target of all criticism after its approval last summer and some partners such as the Netherlands even showed him the exit door of the club.

.

Neither books, nor movies, nor other content for minors that talk about sexuality in schools.

A measure that prohibits Hungarian children from watching

films until they come of age, when they may no longer be interested in that magical world that - according to censors - deals with issues of sexual identity.

"The protection of our children from the lobby of LGBT groups is a sovereign right of Hungarian parents, of how they want to educate their children. But it has become part of the judicial debate. It is a tool for the ideological majority that follows a trend progressive, unfortunately, to impose that line on other countries that do not want to follow it", the Hungarian Minister of Justice, Judit Varga, responded to this newspaper during an interview in November last year.

"Family is a common value in Europe, but

, and we have to legally protect that value," she argued.

In fact, since May 2020, in the midst of a pandemic in Europe, transsexuals have been prohibited from changing their names in Hungary.

The reaction of the rest of the partners was immediate.

Brussels called the law "shameful" and accused Budapest of violating the rights of the Union, once again.

and goes against all the fundamental values ​​of the European Union. We are not going to compromise on these principles," Commission President

said .

The opposition and activist organizations denounced that the law criminalizes the rights to sexual freedom and encourages homophobia, in addition to representing a setback in LGTBI rights and a decrease in tolerance among minors in the future.

The law is very similar to the one that has been in force in Russia since 2013

and which refers to "gay propaganda", that is, it allows information about "non-traditional sexual relations" to be sanctioned.

Since then, homophobia has grown in Russia, where only 47% of people considered in 2019 that LGBTI people should have the same rights as the rest of the citizenry.

WINKS TO RUSSIA IN PANDEMIC

The last 'round' between Hungary and the EU before the war relegated everything to the background had the pandemic as a backdrop.

With the arrival of the vaccine, Orban again distanced himself from the Union consensus and looked to the Kremlin, being

.

Contacts between Budapest and Moscow had intensified after the departure of

, an important ideological ally of Orban, from the White House.

In February, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) rejected the appeals of Poland and Hungary against the EU mechanism that makes access to European funds conditional on respect for the rule of law.

A measure that can enter into force with the support of at least 15 of the 27 members of the bloc, but that the Commission has yet to activate.

Orban was quick to dismiss the ruling as "abuse of power" and "attack against his sovereignty".

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Know more

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• Russia

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