Dispute over EU sanctions
October 29th, 2022A pro-government media outlet speculates that the EU wants to withhold funding from Hungary in order to finance Ukraine. A left-wing commentator accuses the government of spreading lies about the EU sanctions on Russia.
In an unsigned editorial, Origo accuses the EU of failing to disburse Hungarian funding in order to finance Ukraine, and dismisses the rule of law procedures as ‘pure farce’. The pro-government online media outlet claims that the EU does not have any legitimate or rational reason to withhold funding from Hungary – other than trying to offer even more help to a Ukraine struggling with insolvency. Origo writes that the EU is following the dictates and the interests of the US by financing Ukraine. The portal contends that it is inevitable that the EU wants to reallocate Hungary’s EU funding to support Ukraine.
Népszava’s András Vas finds absurd and sad the government campaign against EU sanctions on Russia. The left-wing columnist contends that the government’s ‘national consultation’ on EU sanctions (see BudaPost September 24) is just another propaganda tool intended to divert attention from inflation and other social problems, including underpaid teachers. Vas notes that the government media is full of anti-sanctions messages, but fails to mention every time that the Hungarian government actually approved every sanction package that the EU has passed against Russia. While it blames high prices on sanctions, he continues, it remains silent about the fact that natural gas prices have plummeted by 70 per cent since the EU decision to partially ban Russian gas.