On September 15, the European Parliament voted 433 to 123, with 28 abstentions, to adopt a report declaring that Hungary should no longer be considered a A “full democracy” and should instead be called a “hybrid regime of electoral dictatorship”.
The submitter of the resolution, French MP Delbos Cofield, said: “This resolution is clear and irrevocable… (Hungary) is a country that is moving away from the rule of law at an alarming rate.”
”Election” and “dictatorship” as Two words with contradictory meanings were confused by the European Union into a brand new word. What exactly are the “democratic norms” and how the “hybrid regime” is mixed, the report does not clearly explain, but the conclusion that Hungary is “not democratic enough” has been finalized in this way.
Hungary used the “one-vote veto” to force the European Union to finally downplay the energy sanctions against Russia.
This vote, in addition to possibly affecting the payment of a multi-billion euro “recovery fund” provided by the EU to Hungary, is more like a statement, moral condemnation or persuasion. Return to conformity with ‘European values'” without the actual punishment of “real guns”. But it still triggered a series of discussions and questions in the international community: Why does the European Union, which seems to be closely united, treat its member states in this way? What did Hungary do again?
Alternative Hungary
Hearing that he was deprived of the title of “democracy”, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the next day that the EU’s resolution was a “boring joke”. The Hungarian Foreign Minister also criticized this: “If someone questions Hungary’s ability to understand democracy, I think it is an insult to the Hungarians.” The
Hungarian government spokesperson even pointedly stated in response: If the EU can Save the long time and energy spent on proposing, voting, and deciding whether your member states are “democratic” enough, and use it to focus on the soaring energy prices due to the “failed sanctions” against Russia and the upcoming cold winter , the EU may “do better”.
These responses can just answer people’s questions about this “ridiculous” resolution: Today, the European Union is suffering from the consequences of sanctions against Russia and the backlash of the energy crisis, worrying about the current natural gas shortage, while Hungary, a member state , It is not affected, and there is still enough natural gas to survive the winter.
In the European Union, Hungary has always been an outlier. No matter how the international situation changes, Hungary insists on remaining unchanged in domestic and foreign affairs—only focusing on its own interests.
Because it is well aware of Russia’s absolute advantage in natural gas, Hungary has opposed the sanctions against Russia initiated by the United States because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Orbán publicly stated that using sanctions to “die” will neither threaten Russia nor save Ukraine, but it is enough to pose a major threat to the EU’s economy and affect the daily lives of European civilians. On diplomatic occasions, Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto has repeatedly advised the European politicians sitting at the table to be “realistic”. “, we must take a serious attitude towards it.
Therefore, in the EU’s vote on sanctions against Russia, Hungary used the “one-vote veto” to force the EU to finally downplay the plan for energy sanctions against Russia. Some clauses even allowed Hungary to obtain immunity and be able to sign a natural gas contract with Russia independently. , to ensure natural gas supply. This makes the winter in Hungary this year as warm as in previous years.
hungarian prime minister orbán
18 September 2022 Extraordinary session of the European Commission on the Hungary case
This is not the first time that Hungary has “singed a different tune” in the EU. In the EU’s “South China Sea Arbitration Case” and the Huawei sanctions case against China, Hungary also refused to participate in the pressure, and even welcomed Huawei to come to Hungary to build 5G base stations. These decisions not to follow the trend are naturally judgments based on their own interests, and they often reap immediate benefits: whether it is a better trading environment, good infrastructure or real temperature, Hungary uses its actual Choose to keep yourself in a relatively favorable position all the time.
Bulk EU
The European Union, which has swollen its face and pretended to be fat, will naturally not let go of every opportunity for sanctions to “express its position although it is useless”. The reason for the sanctions this time is that Hungary does not jointly sanction Russia with the EU and is not consistent with the EU on related issues, but on the timeline, it can be seen as the EU’s “17-nation joint warning” to Hungary in 2021, and the EU’s 2018 sanctions against Hungary. One implementation of the Hungarian Sanctions Initiative.
In 2021, the 17 heads of state of the European Union jointly condemned Hungary as a “shame of the European Union” and accused Hungary of introducing a new law that prohibits the country’s school education materials and TV programs from talking about sexual minorities to minors, which is not in line with the European Union. The “spiritual core”.
Within the EU, the obvious gap between rich and poor has not been narrowed, and what is displayed is more like an elegant aggression of Western Europe against Eastern Europe.
In 2018, members of the Dutch Green Party wept bitterly in the European Parliament, accusing Hungary of inhumane actions against the EU’s “Middle East refugee apportionment policy”, and called on the EU to condemn this behavior with sanctions. The tears resonated strongly, and the European Parliament passed the sanctions motion with 448 votes in favor, 197 against, and 48 abstentions.
In recent years, whether it is about sexual minorities, or the resettlement of refugees in the Middle East, or even the independence of the judiciary, freedom of speech, and academic freedom…Hungary has been dissected and inspected by the EU from the inside out. As an alliance, an economic and political community, the EU is like a “community of interest” that needs to reach a consensus. If Hungary frequently shows inappropriateness, it will simply be expelled from the organization. Why is there such a meaningless condemnation?
It is an indisputable fact that the European Union, based on solidarity, is not a real community with complete concerted efforts. Although the basis for the existence of the EU is to eliminate the uneven development of Eastern and Western Europe, within the EU, the obvious gap between rich and poor has not been narrowed. As time goes by, it is more like an elegant invasion of Western Europe against Eastern Europe. .
Wealthy and advanced Western Europe needs basic means of production and support such as energy, labor, and raw materials from Eastern Europe. In a completely market-oriented Europe, the “Matthew Effect” will automatically take away labor, raw materials and everything from underdeveloped Eastern Europe. “The foundation stone will also crumble.
The European Union seems to have made some efforts to bridge the development gap between East and West. However, the original intention of the establishment of the European Union was not to “rob the rich and give to the poor”, but the most beneficial choice made by developed Western Europe. Therefore, Eastern European countries are gradually discovering how much of this common development is real sincerity and how much is superficial effort.
And Hungary may be the one who is unwilling to suffer silently. It may have realized earlier that becoming a member of the European Union is a double-edged sword. The developed countries in Western Europe, which have the right to speak, never really care about the safety of small Eastern European countries-the only way is to early and everywhere Start from your own interests and think for yourself.
“Democracy” that anyone can dress up
A widely circulated joke illustrates the European world’s casual definition of “democracy”.
One of the major evidences for defining Hungary as a “hybrid regime with electoral dictatorship” this time is that Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán has been in office for 12 consecutive years. But if you count carefully, since the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II, at least three prime ministers have had a term longer than 12 years: Adenauer served as German chancellor for 14 years, Kohl for 16 years, and Merkel for 16 years . If this is used as evidence, should Germany, which holds the right to speak in Europe, also be expelled from the “democratic” sequence? In this regard, the EU replied: that is because the German chancellors are capable and can gain the long-term trust of the German people.
Przemysl, Poland, March 16, 2022 Ukrainian refugees rest in a local refugee camp
On October 3, 2022, Budapest, Hungary, Serbian President Vucic (left) and Hungarian Prime Minister Orban (right) met
The unabashed double standard is evident from this description.
The real world can be more naked and cruel than the joke itself. When the refugee wave broke out in the Middle East, Germany and other major European countries asked other countries to accept refugees. Be your own “goalkeeper”; because Hungary has repeatedly used “one-vote veto” in important resolutions to damage the “good things” of big countries, Germany is promoting a reform, suggesting that the “one-vote veto” system in the EU’s rules of procedure be abolished, Changed to “majority vote”.
In addition to arbitrarily labeling displeasing countries within the EU, the European Parliament is also willing to criticize countries around the world: it believes that Russia “forced deportation” of Ukrainian civilians to Russia and “forced adoption” of Ukrainian children, which is undemocratic , No human rights; Uganda and Tanzania invest in fossil fuels, violating human rights…
What is the “democracy” that Hungary lost? Is it “obedience to US hegemony” or “zero tolerance for differences”?
Also in the reply on the second day after the incident was fermented, Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto said: “European parliamentarians with high salaries will do better if they can deal with practical issues. For example, when energy prices are affected by sanctions against Russia. After three or four times the increase, go and help the European people and the European economy.”
No matter how you define democracy, winter will come as expected with the rotation of the seasons. The Hungarian government, which is not “democratic”, has prepared natural gas for the winter for its citizens, but those members of the European Parliament who voted in tears or agitated, seem to be unprepared for their country to deal with the long and “Democracy” has nothing to do with the winter.
