The EU is to release more than €16bn to Hungary that had been frozen under the rule of Viktor Orbán, with Ursula von der Leyen hailing the “winds of change” in the country since the election of Péter Magyar last month.
The decision, described as a “historic breakthrough” by the new prime minister, comes as police in Hungary have said they will allow next month’s Pride parade in Budapest to take place. Last year they sought to block the event on the orders of the government of the rightwing Orbán.
Ah, it isn’t.
So if some grubby little nationalist gets elected for 16 years then the multinational money don’t arrive. As soon as the gubby little nationalist is ejected then the cash does roll up. Isn’t that a nice and rules based impartiality?
In other words, they’re doing what the EU wants, so they’ll get the bribe.
Oh, It’s Rules-based….
One Rule for Thee,
And One Rule for Meeeeeeee!
I wonder what the citizens of Hungary will say when they have to accept their quota of ‘refugees’ that the EU insist every EU country must accommodate?
They have 20 mosques and 162 synagogues in Hungary at the moment. Lets see what the state of play is in, say 20 years……….
Lot of Chinese students in Budapest when I was there.
Lets see what Mr Magyar does once he gets hold of the withheld loot.
Not just Chinese students but Chinese workers, Chinese factories etc. Orban had a multilateralist approach where he cosied up to Trump (but not the USA or Atlanticism as a whole*), Russia and China while remaining within the EU and NATO and getting most of the benefits of those too. Hungary played the equivalent role for China in the EU as Ireland has done for the USA, but with even more workers coming over. Even, controversially, Chinese police to make sure the Chinese workers were behaving.
https://dailynewshungary.com/chinese-police-stations-in-hungary-now-church/
https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3354060/chinese-companies-hungary-scramble-adjust-post-orban-era
* Hungary was, and I suspect still is, frozen out of a lot of Atlantic alliance intel sharing due to a pattern of leaks to Russia. Partly due to Russian infiltration of the intelligence service there, which Orban neglected to clean up – presumably to avoid a row with Putin – and likely with some leaks being government-authorised. Austria isn’t in NATO but does get frozen out some of the EU’s equivalent sharing, its intelligence agency is well known to be totally compromised, as is Austrian politics itself. Have a look at the Wirecard affair, where substantial parts of Austrian intelligence were actually working for the Russians, and Karin Kneissl, former foreign minister, who now lives in Russia – bizarrely her ponies, which she kept in Syria, were rescued by Russian military airlift during the collapse of the Assad regime.
In the Cold War, nearly all Austrian politicians were in the pay of the Czechs.
Plus ca change.
Hungarian higher education is rather good, relatively cheap and mostly conducted in English.
I suspect they’re going to find that the new bloke isn’t that much different, in practical terms, than the old one.
Yes, a change in rhetoric, a bit of window dressing (£16bn for allowing a Pride march isn’t a bad deal), and less pro-Putin.
But a substantial change in immigration policy? This may be wishful thinking on my part, but I doubt it.
“We’ll pay you £16bn to vote Orbán out.”
How many other elections are they interfering with? What are they offering Italy to vote Giorgia Meloni out?
Most Hungarians had got sick of Orban’s naked corruption not his policies, they didn’t need bribing.
Bit late to post this, but truly hilarious:
https://www.politico.eu/article/euroskeptic-think-tanks-on-rise-as-brussel-slashes-funding-pro-eu-groups/
Sort of thing Chris Snowdon bangs on about, when the bureaucracy funds the “civic society groups” that lobby it to do the stuff it always wanted to do anyway. But now the complaints come when some of those funding streams dry up!