Page 11 - bne_newspaper_December_01_2017

Central Europe
December 1, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 11
Former EU commissioners urge Juncker to freeze aid to Hungary
bne IntelliNews
Three former EU commissioners have appealed to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in an open letter to cut off funding to Hungary until it reinstates basic democratic freedoms and takes actions against corruption.
”As signatories to this letter, we ask the European Commission to temporarily suspend payment of all EU funding to Hungary, with the exception of funding provided directly by the Commission (i.e. without the intermediary role of the Hungarian government), says the letter, signed by Hans Eichel, Germany’s former finance minister, and three ex-EU commissioners: Pascal Lamy, Franz Fischler and Yannis Paleokrassas.
The signatories accuse the Orban government
of curtailing press freedom, they say universities have lost their independence, and key public institutions have been “de facto taken over” by the ruling Fidesz party.
Harassment and smothering of civil society organisations have been going on for years, they say. Hungary has passed a controversial regulation on NGOs and an amendment to the higher education act, both targeted indirectly against Hungarian-born philanthropist George Soros.
The Central European University, founded by Soros, and a number of NGOs receiving financial support for him have come under fierce attack from the government and its media. Brussels
Hungary is a mafia state under Orban, say critics such as the rightwing opposition Jobbik party.
have mounted pressure on Hungary by launching infringement procedures but the cabinet re- mained adamant and have not revoked the legis- lation.
It is also telling that the Hungarian government has refused to join the EU’s key anti-corruption initiative, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the EU official said. Hungary's Prosecutors' Office has ordered investigations only in a handful of cases when government parties were involved in corruption cases.
Targeting civil groups, such as Transparency International, which aims to uncover corruption and bribery, begs questions about the govern- ment's commitment to target corruption, oppo- nents note, adding that the scale of the problem has reached new heights as corruption has be- come institutionalised.
Business circles close to the prime minister, such as Felcsut mayor Lorinc Meszaros, have dominated in winning state contracts. Meszaros has amassed immense wealth in just a couple of years since Viktor Orban severed ties with Lajos Simicska, who served as treasurer for the Fidesz party and oligarch for more than two decades until a very public fallout in the aftermath of the 2014 election.
Hungary’s worsening record was reflected in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of Transparency International, which showed the