Analysts were in no doubt that European finance ministers would approve the partial suspension of next year’s cohesion funds for Hungary. What they do not agree upon is who is at fault. READ MORE
Commenting on the European Commission’s decision to launch infringement procedures against Hungary, left-wing columnists believe that Brussels took a moral stand, while their conservative counterparts interpret the Commission’s decision as an example of the EU’s double standards. READ MORE
Writing in a right-wing daily, the economist László Gazdag criticizes the austerity measures of past Socialist governments and thereby expresses implicit criticism of the strict fiscal policies pursued by the present government. READ MORE
A right-wing columnist wonders why the police investigates journalists who identified the policemen beating up protesters during the 2006 riots, instead of prosecuting the violent perpetrators who, she believes, acted on the orders of Ferenc Gyurcsány’s left-wing government. READ MORE
Remembering the victims of the Communist past, conservative intellectuals blame left-wing and liberal elites for trying to relativize the crimes of the Communist dictatorships. A liberal commentator, on the other hand, accuses the right-wing government of only symbolically distancing itself from post-Communism. READ MORE
Magyar Hírlap carries a debate on whether leaving the European Union is a realistic option for Hungary, while Magyar Nemzet, which also echoes the displeasure of right-wing circles with the threat of Union sanctions against Hungary, asks if the EU can be successful without respecting national traditions. READ MORE
The two main pro-government dailies fully expected that the European Commission would propose sanctions against Hungary, and argue that such a decision would be unjustified. READ MORE
Left and right wing columnists are sharply divided on the resolution the European Parliament adopted on Hungary earlier this week. While conservative commentators condemn Hungarian Socialist MEPs for actively taking part, their left wing counterparts call on the government to act. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator criticizes Slovakia for stripping ethnic Hungarians who apply for Hungarian passports of their Slovak citizenship. A liberal columnist, who also finds the Slovak policies unacceptable, adds that both sides follow the same nationalist logic. READ MORE
Right-wing commentators feel that Hungary is being unfairly accused of anti-democratic tendencies and unjustly put under pressure, but a business analyst says it has to comply with the demands put forward by the European Union. READ MORE