A week ahead of the October 2 referendum on the EU migrant distribution quota, weeklies and weekend editions of the leading dailies wonder how the migration crisis should be handled, and ponder the broader implications of the referendum. READ MORE
Two conservative commentators criticize the EU for abandoning its core principles and trusting its security to Turkey. A left-wing columnist, on the other hand, hopes that the lifting of the Turkish visa requirement will strengthen democrats in Turkey without compromising the EU’s security. READ MORE
Pro-government and conservative columnists welcome the referendum on mandatory quotas, claiming that national sovereignty and identity are at stake. Left-wing and liberal analysts think the referendum is a stunt, and may eventually even be considered as a decision on Hungary’s EU membership. READ MORE
Left-wing and liberal weeklies accuse the government of destroying the education system. A pro-government commentator, on the other hand, speculates that the opposition parties are orchestrating the teachers’ protests in the hope that they can bring down the Orbán government, if another flow of migrants reaches Hungary in the spring. READ MORE
Right-wing commentators blame the courts for failing to hand down exemplary sentences to corrupt left-wing businessmen and politicians, while on the Left, the mild verdicts are cited as proof that the charges were at least partly politically motivated. READ MORE
Conservative analysts suspect that the decisions adopted by the European Council on Friday will prove insufficient as crisis management tools. They believe that Europe is still reluctant to take resolute action in order to avert what they regard as a looming catastrophe. READ MORE
An agreement with Germany and Austria has allowed Hungary to transfer asylum seekers to the Austrian border. Weeklies and dailies ponder the implications of the crisis and the prospect of its resolution. READ MORE
Weeklies and dailies ponder the moral and practical implications of the government’s migration policies and the Left’s stance. In the increasingly desperate ideological battle, both sides deploy heavy moral artillery. READ MORE
Opinions diverge sharply on who is at fault for Greece’s financial difficulties and whether the solution accepted by the parties is a step forward or backward. A right-wing author thinks Hungary managed to avoid being plunged into a comparable crisis thanks to the unorthodox policies pursued by the government after 2010. READ MORE
In their weekend analyses, written before Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras submitted his new proposals to the European Union, commentators discussed the possible outcomes of the negotiations and whether Europe’s response should be to move towards a federal state or looser integration.
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