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Central Europe
October 20, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 13
There was also a very clear consensus among the eastern EU members that the greatest benefit it had brought them was new work opportunities. The emphasis placed on the economic benefits of EU membership and most respondents’ enthusi- asm for membership is food for thought for politi- cal leaders in the region.
In Hungary, Orban has been at loggerheads with the EU for years, but the attack on the European Union has become a centrepiece of his policies since the refugee crisis in 2015.
Hungary adamantly rejects the EUs refugee re- settlement quotas and even after a recent ECJ’s ruling it is not willing to admit its share of 2,300 asylum seekers. The recent ruling on EU refugee resettlement quotas opened the door for the “So- ros Plan,” which Brussels will now try to force on Hungary”, Orban reportedly told MPs earlier last month, as his government continues to demonise businessman and philanthropist George Soros.
The government has even launched a national consultation entitled “Stop Brussels,” focusing
on six specific issues. The questionnaire called on people to stand up for national independence to support the “government’s efforts to combat mistaken proposals on the part of Brussels”. The European Union responded in a swift and surprisingly stringent tone, saying that claims and allegations made in the consultation were factually incorrect or highly misleading and in statement posted on its website rebutted point by point each objection.
Similarly, Poland has been at odds with Brussels over Warsaw’s adherence to the rule of law prin- ciples since the nationalist right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party took over in late 2015.
The spat has resulted in a deepening isolation of Poland in the EU and a worsening of Warsaw’s relationships with key member states such as France or Germany.
The 2017 Parlemeter survey, which interviewed 27,881 citizens in the 28 member states, confirmed the citizens’ increasingly favourable view of the EU, continuing a trend visible in surveys since 2016.
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