The dispute between the EU and Hungary and Poland has been smoldering for years.
The reason are restrictions on the democratic rule of law.
Now a CDU parliamentary deputy is very controversial about Orbán.
Budapest / Brussels - Excitement about an interview with the deputy chairman of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag.
In an interview with the
Budapest newspaper
, Arnold Vaatz spoke favorably of Viktor Orbán's ruling party, Fidesz.
That was not well received in political circles in Germany and the European Union.
Parliament's Vice-President Katarina Barley (SPD) described Vaatz's attitude towards Hungary as a “shame”.
At the end of 2020, the European Union and the member states Hungary and Poland slipped into a tangible dispute over the seven-year budget.
At that time, the two states wanted to prevent the EU from a planned rule of law mechanism.
The dispute resulted in a compromise.
Only to pick up speed again when it became known that the last independent broadcaster in Hungary, the “Klubradio”, had had its FM frequency withdrawn.
The EU Commission described the decision as "extremely questionable".
The radio station scandal fueled the simmering conflict over the restriction of the freedom of the press in Hungary.
# Orbán and #Fidesz are dismantling democracy in #Hungary and trying to do the same in the #EU.
It is a shame that the CDU and CSU tolerate or even welcome this.
https://t.co/1FuVHaA1Up
- Katarina Barley (@katarinabarley) February 28, 2021
CDU Vice Arnold Vaatz with an interview on Hungary - EU politician Katerina Barley reacts critically
For the
Zeit
journalist Stefan Schirmer, the current interview with Arnold Vaatz is "strange to be ashamed of".
"Orban's party, which he praises, has demolished the independence of the judiciary, the right to freedom of expression, academic freedom and the protection of minorities in Hungary!" Argues Schirmer.
His tweet is picked up by the SPD and EU politician Katarina Barley, who is also indignant.
What happened?
In an interview with the
Budapester Zeitung
, a German-speaking Hungarian weekly newspaper, Vaatz says that Hungary is a “narcissistic insult” for the European Union.
"Societies that refuse to consider feminism, gender asterisks, renewable energies or particulate matter as the core issues of humanity make the representatives of our mainstream angry," said the CDU parliamentary deputy.
His result: “Today, Fidesz takes positions on key issues that the CDU took twenty years ago.” He also criticizes the way the German media dealt with Hungary Prosecutor bombed. "
Orban's Fidesz party in Hungary - CDU politician speaks out about “mainstream” in Germany
Furthermore, Vaatz believes that the freedom of the press in Hungary is “far more diverse and more critical of the government” than in the Federal Republic.
He also sees “large political overlaps” between the CDU and Fidesz in certain topics such as NATO, health policy and economic policy.
A big topic for the CDU politician is obviously the “mainstream”, which he keeps talking about.
Whereby he fails to provide a precise definition.
"The more convulsively the CDU clings to the mainstream, the more it will lose," he judged.
At the end of the conversation he gave the country of Hungary one thing: "And develop a little pity for people who are suffering from the loss of their reputation, who move from one hysteria to the next and cannot find their way out."
Katarina Barley then tweeted: “Orbán and Fidesz are dismantling democracy in Hungary and trying to do the same in the EU.
That the CDU and CSU tolerate or even welcome this is a shame. "
The dispute over the membership of the Hungarian ruling party in the conservative European People's Party (EPP) could pick up speed on Wednesday (March 3) in Brussels.
As the
Agence-France Press
reports, on this day the EPP European Parliamentary Group, which also includes the CDU and CSU, will vote on new rules of procedure.
This should enable the exclusion of entire delegations.
Viktor Orbán then threatened: "If Fidesz is not welcome, we do not feel compelled to stay in the group".
According to the
afp
, the head of government
wrote
to parliamentary group leader Manfred Weber (CSU) on Sunday.
This could lead to a showdown of a dispute that has existed for years, in which EPP parties are demanding the exclusion of Fidesz due to the restrictions on fundamental democratic rights in Hungary.
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