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Central Europe
February 16, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 12
Hungary toughens ‘Stop Soros’ bill, blaming him for corruption allegations
bne IntelliNews
The Hungarian government unveiled a tougher version of its package of planned laws targeting NGOs which organise, support and finance migration on February 13. The announcement came as the government was put on the defensive by a spate of corruption allegations, which it blamed on the US Jewish financier.
The “Stop Soros” legislation is widely perceived as the latest attack on Hungarian civil groups. NGOs con- demned the original proposal and said the real target was not the Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros, but groups that are critical to the government.
The European Commission has taken Hungary to court over the regulation requiring NGOs to de- clare any funding received from outside Hungary.
Legislation adopted by parliament in June requires NGOs that receive foreign funding of more than HUF7.2mn (€23,000) a year to specify that they "foreign-supported organisations”, a label that would make their operations even more difficult.
The Hungarian government has escalated its battle against NGOs after news emerged a month ago that for years the government secretly admitted more than 2,300 asylum-seekers to Hungary while resisting allowing in some 1,300 migrants based on the EU’s relocation scheme amid a massive campaign that has dominated public debate over the last 2-3 years.
In the latest version of the "Stop Soros" legislation, NGO's will have to undergo a “check” by the security
services before being authorised to operate. If they refuse to apply or their permission is refused, then a fine will be levied, and if the violation continues, they could be banned from operating, government spokesman Bence Tuzson told reporters on Tuesday.
The legislation will also set a 25% tax on NGO's funding from abroad. Persons that support migration may be banned from the country.
The legislation however requires a two-thirds ma- jority, which the ruling conservative Fidesz party lacks by a few votes. It quickly released a state- ment calling on opposition parties to support the bill, which could easily be just a communication trick to thematise public discourse and to avert attention from corruption cases, such as the lat- est Olaf report, local media reported.
Foreign interest groups led by George Soros want a government that is weak and can be blackmailed, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told representatives of the government parties at a closed-door caucus meeting on February 14, ahead of the spring session of parliament.
In the last few days, a spate of corruption cases have surfaced that has pushed Fidesz onto the defensive – a rare turnabout after the rightwing Fidesz party took command
of public discourse with its anti-immigration rhetoric after the migrant crisis broke in 2015.
The EU's anti-fraud office Olaf's report leaked to the press revealed severe irregularities and signs of